US Copyright Office Recommends No Change To The “Making Available” Right 24/02/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The “making available right,” affirmed by the 1996 World Intellectual Property Organization “Internet Treaties”, gives authors the prerogative to authorise digital access to their copyrighted works “in such a way that members of the public may access these works from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.” But while United States government officials have routinely held that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which implements the treaties covers all of the conduct envisioned by the right, courts have been less consistent, the US Copyright Office said in a 23 February congressionally-ordered report that recommended no change to current law.
Companies Can Inoculate Themselves Against Patent Trolls Through Their Supply Chain 24/02/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The well-worn phrase “no man is an island” may reflect a fundamental truth about the human condition, but it also provides wisdom into how to protect your company against patent trolls, writes Tim Wilson.
Digital Rights Management Faces “Big Data,” Multiple-Rightsholder Challenges 23/02/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Managing copyright in digital musical works can be difficult because there are multiple rights holders and no standards for exchanging the massive amounts of data involved. Digital rights management services LyricFind and Rumblefish are among organisations working to streamline access to online content, company chiefs say.
US Congressional Hearing On WIPO Accountability This Week 22/02/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Several subcommittees of the United States Congress have scheduled a joint hearing this week on accountability and possible mistreatment of staff and whistleblowers at the UN World Intellectual Property Organization. The witness list for the hearing includes several high-level critics of the current WIPO director general who used to work for him. Meanwhile, observers are questioning what has happened to the report from an official UN investigation of WIPO.
Status Quo For WIPO Committee On Genetic Resources; Dialogue Ongoing To Unlock It 22/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The amiable mood which prevailed at the outset of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on genetic resources and traditional knowledge meeting did not hold as negotiations on language of a potential treaty text to prevent misappropriation of genetic resources unearthed vivid divisions on the way to achieve such prevention. In addition, the participation of indigenous peoples is jeopardised by lack of funds, and the committee called for governments to help.
Genetics Disclosure Requirement In IP Applications Necessary To Comply With Obligations, Speakers Say 19/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments As World Intellectual Property Organization members struggled this week to find consensus on the wording of a potential treaty protecting genetic resources from misappropriation, a side event explored the role of WIPO and the intellectual property system in preventing such misappropriation.
TTIP: Alternative ISDS No Real Alternative, NGOs Warn 19/02/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Just days before the restart of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on 22 February in Brussels, a large coalition of non-governmental organisations led by the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) published a critical report on new proposals for the highly debated investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. The activists called the Investment Court System (ICS) prepared by EU Commissioner Malmstroem as an alternative a mere “ISDS zombie.”
Subscriber Alert: New Proposed Text For WIPO GR, TK Committee 18/02/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Today a new text was issued for the consideration of the WIPO committee on genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The text is a work in progress, according to the group of delegates tasked with proposing consensual language on a draft treaty text coming from previous meetings of the committee.
Climate Change Panel Seeks To Improve Communication, Open Doors To Private Sector 18/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change seeks to improve its communication to promote its reports, its chair said at a briefing yesterday. Working on its next assessment report expected to be released in five or six years, the IPCC seeks to increase participation of the private sector as a major stakeholders upon which depends the investment to find solutions to climate change he said.
EU Parliament Members Seek To Curb Antibiotics In Animals, Boost New Research 18/02/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In the fight against antimicrobial resistance, members of the European Parliament’s Environment and Public Health Committee have advocated banning collective and preventive antibiotic treatment of animals, and supported measures to stimulate research into new antibiotics, including longer data protection.