From The IGF: Next Steps In Open Source? Open Source Hardware 20/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Open source software today has won in some ways, activists said at the regular Open Source Software Workshop at the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva today.
A Digital Geneva Convention: Nobel Prize-Worthy Or Dangerous? 19/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Microsoft on 19 December presented its Digital Geneva Convention during the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva. With cybersecurity being one of the top issues at the forum, the company received a lot of interest for the idea of developing the convention as a multi-stakeholder draft. But there were also voices of caution from individual governments as well network-operating people.
US Court Strikes Down Bar On Scandalous Trademarks 19/12/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Yet another part of US trademark law is dead. On Friday, a US appellate court struck down a statutory provision that prohibited the registration of immoral or scandalous marks. The decision was almost inevitable, after a recent Supreme Court ruling applying the US Constitution’s free speech guarantees to trademark law. And it is likely to be followed by further successful court challenges to America’s trademark law.
US Decision On Net Neutrality Will Not Impact ICANN’s Work, ICANN CEO Says 19/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet is almost an experiment, the CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers said today at the Internet Governance Forum. No one has ever built an internet before, he said, adding that between 3.5 and 4 billion people connect to the internet every day successfully, taking the technology for granted. He did not provide any comments on the recent United States decision ending net neutrality in the country, but said it will have no influence on ICANN’s work.
Internet Governance Forum Opening: Wish List For An Open, Trustworthy, Accessible Internet 19/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Internet Governance Forum opened yesterday at the United Nations in Geneva, coming back to its origins, and as the opening ceremony resounded with Swiss alphorn, speakers insisted on the urgency to find fresh solutions to internet-related new issues. Cyber security, digital divide, influence of private companies, lack of digital literacy, the challenges are numerous, and solutions require a multi-stakeholder collective effort, the speakers said in unison.
Governments Must Provide More Transparency In Trade Negotiations, Coalition Says At IGF 19/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Internet Governance Forum Dynamic Coalition on Trade and the Internet, a group formed in 2016, held its formal inaugural meeting today and adopted a resolution on transparency in trade negotiations, in particular on trade rules that affect the online and digital environment.
Internet Content Control Is Here, UN Special Rapporteur Warns IGF 19/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Internet content regulation is coming, in fact it is already here,” said David Kaye, United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, during a panel organised by the Global Network Initiative on day one of the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva this week.
Starbucks Trademark Dispute Brewing Over Bull Pulu Tapioca Logo 18/12/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has rejected an opposition from Starbucks to trademark registration no. 5897739 for the green-and white “BULL PULU TAPIOCA” concentric circle logo with a puppy white bull dog in the center, writes Masaki Mikami.
At Internet Governance Forum, Developing Countries Explain Need To Tread Carefully On E-Commerce Policy 18/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Who does not like to have the possibility to shop online, or benefit from online services? No one disputes the advantage of the digital age, but in a world in which a very small number of actors, such as Google and Facebook, hosted by rich countries, reap most of the advertising benefits, developing countries are wary of binding rules which would only serve to enhance the digital and economic divide, according to speakers on an opening panel today at this week’s Internet Governance Forum.
INTA 4-Year Strategic Plan: Value, Consumer Trust, Innovation 17/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The International Trademark Association (INTA) will implement a new strategic plan for 2018 to 2021 starting with the new year. The plan focuses on promoting the value of trademarks and brands, reinforcing consumer trust, and embracing innovation and change.