Proposed Rules On Public Research In South Africa Stir Debate 04/06/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments Draft rules on intellectual property rights in publicly financed research are stirring significant debate in South Africa between those who say the rules may stifle innovation, breach WHO commitments and be unconstitutional, and others who say concerns are overblown and the measures are needed to boost the country’s economy.
Mixed Review Of Swedish Pirate Bay Jail Sentences 26/04/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment While rightsholders hailed a “landmark” recent high-profile verdict against the operators of Swedish online file-sharing site The Pirate Bay (TPB), legal and digital rights analysts say it was no surprise. While the law of secondary liability for copyright infringement is by no means settled everywhere, TPB’s attitude toward intellectual property protections means the same decision could have happened in other countries as well, they said.
Compromise US Patent Reform Legislation Clears First Hurdle 02/04/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Sweeping patent reform legislation cleared a key United States Senate committee Thursday and is now headed for a vote on the Senate floor after compromises were reached on key sticking points in the bill.
ISP Liability, Copyright Term Extension Key IP Issues For Europe This Year 18/02/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The effort to tackle digital piracy is likely to remain the most contentious intellectual property issue in Europe this year. It will be joined by debates on copyright term extension, IP provisions in trade agreements, and an ongoing discussion of patent policy in Europe.
ISP Liability, Limitations And Exceptions Top Global Copyright Issues In 2009 09/02/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Year Ahead: Copyright has taken centre stage again this year as the battle over internet service provider (ISP) responsibility for digital piracy intensifies and spreads around the world. 2009 will also feature growing global pressure for a more harmonised system of copyright limitations and exceptions, and continuing controversy over the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
US Appeals Court Hears High-Profile Case On USPTO Power Over Patent Rules 05/12/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Before a packed audience, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Friday tackled the highly controversial dispute between the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and much of the patent bar over rules capping the number of continuation requests and claims patent seekers can submit without incurring additional expenses and paperwork.
Brand Owners Urge Caution On New Top-Level Internet Domain Names 26/11/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Trademark owners are not likely to benefit from the approval by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) of a predicted 500 new generic top-level domain names (gTLDs), industry speakers said at a 25 November Web seminar on protecting and promoting brands online. Potential risks include the need for defensive domain-name registrations in many TLDs and the lack of an effective procedure for resolving disputes, they said.
US Elections, Global Economy Are Major Challenges For US IP Association 14/11/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – The American Intellectual Property Law Association faces profound political, legislative and administrative challenges in coming months, new Executive Director Q. Todd Dickinson said in a 13 November interview in The Hague. Key among them are major changes at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the new Obama administration, the fate of patent reform in the new US Congress, and the impact, if any, of the global economic downturn on patents, he said.
Trilateral IP Offices Under New Pressure To Harmonise Patent Processing 13/11/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – Patent offices are facing heat from industry to make good on promises to coordinate global processing of patent applications. Despite years of talk of streamlining the handling of applications, reducing duplication and creating more reliable international patents, agencies have failed to move ahead, Air […]
Google Books Settlement A Possible Path To Resolution Of Digital Content Disputes 30/10/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Google’s groundbreaking settlement of copyright infringement claims by authors and book publishers this week resonates beyond the United States, the European Commission and a UK copyright lawyer said. While the agreement affects only US users of Google Book Search, it points the way toward possible solutions to the […]