TRIPS May Evolve To Keep Pace With Modern IP Concerns 24/10/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford and Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) is being “recalibrated” as developing and developed countries challenge old assumptions, Vanderbilt University law professor Daniel Gervais said this week. The first international accord to link intellectual property and trade has entered its third “narrative,” in which […]
UK Content, ISP Industries Agree To Partner Against Digital Piracy 28/07/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A groundbreaking agreement between the UK government, major internet service providers (ISPs) and the music and film industries could signal that efforts to engage ISPs in fighting digital copyright piracy are gaining momentum. The pact is part of a government plan to quell unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing through industry […]
Flurry Of Copyright, Interoperability Policy Activity At European Union 17/07/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch In a flurry of intellectual property-related activity, the European Commission this week ordered copyright collecting societies to loosen their stranglehold on cross-border music licensing, proposed extending the term of copyright protection to 95 years, and launched debate on copyright exceptions on the internet. The Commission also adopted a […]
Intellectual Property Regime Stifles Science and Innovation, Nobel Laureates Say 07/07/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 25 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch MANCHESTER, UK – The basic framework of the intellectual property (IP) regime aims to “close down access to knowledge” rather than allowing its dissemination, Professor Joseph Stiglitz said at a 5 July lecture on “Who Owns Science?” Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, and Professor John Sulston, […]
Attorneys: New USPTO Patent Appeals Rules Will Raise Costs, Accomplish Little 18/06/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch New United States Patent and Trademark Office procedural rules governing ex parte appeals of rejected patent applications before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) have met with resistance from some patent attorneys, who argue they are unfair, unnecessary and will hurt smaller and foreign patent applicants. The USPTO said it adopted the rules, effective 10 December 2008, to streamline the handling of a growing number of such appeals.
USPTO Patent Reexamination Process Is Flawed, Think Tank Says 10/06/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A United States Patent and Trademark Office procedure for third-party patent challenges is in turmoil and needs rethinking, an investigation by an independent think tank has found. Though few in number so far, inter partes reexaminations are increasingly used in conjunction with, rather than as an intended replacement for, patent infringement litigation. On top of that, the USPTO is taking years to resolve the cases, leaving business plans in disarray. The USPTO said it is working to cut delays in the system.
EU Internal Market Chief: Counterfeiting and Piracy Need Industry-Led Solutions 14/05/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch The European Commission wants practical, pragmatic suggestions for fighting the “modern-day highway robbery” known as piracy and counterfeiting, Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said at a 13 May commission-sponsored high level conference on the issues. McCreevy stressed that more regulation is not the answer, and that solutions lie […]
Support Mixed For US Orphan Works Bill As Issue Catches Global Attention 07/05/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch In an issue that may be rising internationally, legislation pending in the United States Senate and House to free up use of “orphan works” whose copyright owners cannot be found has won strong support from the recording, webcasting and library sectors but faces challenges from visual artists and […]
US Patent Reform Stalls as Senate Negotiations Break Down 15/04/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch United States Senate negotiations on sweeping reform of the patent system foundered late last week as ongoing disputes over key provisions – and possible squabbling over confirmation of federal judges – resulted in S 1145 being pulled from the floor schedule for the time being. “We are not […]
European Parliament Rejects Proposal to Make ISPs Shut Off Suspected Pirates 10/04/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch The European Parliament on Thursday urged governments not to authorise shut-off of internet access in cases of suspected copyright piracy. The subject of the vote, an own-initiative report on promoting European cultural industries by French Socialist Parliament Member (MEP) Guy Bono, has stirred up a hornet’s nest of […]