Idris Bids WIPO Farewell; Newly Appointed DG Gurry Outlines Initiatives 22/09/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By William New Australian Francis Gurry became the next in a short list of leaders of the World Intellectual Property Organization Monday, and promptly signalled a programme of increased multilateralism and bolstered global and local relevance for the United Nations body. Gurry’s appointment to director general followed an emotional farewell to WIPO by Kamil Idris, […]
Naming DG Tops List Of Policy, Administrative Issues For WIPO Assembly 22/09/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The 2008 annual assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization likely will be remembered for some time, as the choices member governments make there this week may have a profound effect on the future of the United Nations organisation. Topping the list is the appointment of a new WIPO director general, who […]
The First-Ever Intellectual Property Watch Reader Survey 10/09/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment After 3 1/2 years of publishing articles and comments on IP policy it’s high time we at Intellectual Property Watch asked your views on our website and our products. Influence the news! Take this short, simple and totally confidential survey and let us know what you think! In case of technical problems with the link […]
India’s Section 3(d) Conundrum 02/09/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments Editor’s Note: This submission refers to the 2005 patent law in India, which amended India’s 1970 patent law and implemented the 1994 World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). India allowed proposed patent applications to be submitted in advance to a mailbox before the law’s passage. By Kamakhya Srivastava The […]
US Court Finds Open Source Licences Enforceable; Big Impact Seen On US Copyright Law 26/08/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch The ruling has no precedential value. Nevertheless, the recent decision in Jacobsen v. Katzer will have a major impact on US copyright law, according to IP experts. Jacobsen held that open source licences can be enforced under US copyright law. “It is first time that a US court of appeals has directly addressed issues about the enforceability of open source licences,” said Jim Thatcher, Of Counsel in the Seattle office of Woodcock Washburn. “There isn’t anywhere else for [US] courts to turn for guidance on this issue, so they will turn to this case and its logic for the enforceability of open source licensing terms.” “[T]rust me, this is huge,” Lawrence Lessig, a copyright expert at Stanford Law School, wrote in his online blog.
Global Patent Filings Continue Rise But May Level Off; Smaller Nations Slipping 05/08/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Patent filings continue to rise globally, especially in a few nations, as do problems of high-volume application processing and quality assurance. But more attention is needed to bring smaller economies into the patent system, and patenting may slow down with tough economic times, officials at the World Intellectual Property Organization said last week.
Aumentan las actividades de PI de la UNCTAD gracias al mandato renovado; mayor colaboración 04/08/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Catherine Saez Las cuestiones relacionadas con la propiedad intelectual (PI) parecen ser un claro enfoque de políticas de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD), ya que la 12.va conferencia cuatrienal de la UNCTAD celebrada en abril reconfirmó el mandato sobre PI; la organización fue nombrada por otros dos organismos […]
Abrupt End To Ministerial Leaves Questions On Future Of IP Issues At WTO 31/07/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By William New The World Trade Organization Doha Round is over, and bitterly, at least for now, but negotiators left town with the general consensus that hard-earned work to date should not be lost and that there might be resumption of talks sometime in the future. The fate of intellectual property issues at the WTO […]
Collapse Of WTO Talks Washes Away Hope For TRIPS Changes 29/07/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By William New Seven-year negotiations at the World Trade Organization collapsed today after an intensive nine-day ministerial snagged on an agricultural issue. And with the end of the Doha Round of trade negotiations for the foreseeable future go the hopes of some members of amending global trade rules on intellectual property to better prevent biopiracy […]
TRIPS Issues Still Possible At WTO, If Overall Talks Unlock 29/07/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Intellectual property issues are progressing slowly and quietly on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization ministerial as prospects for an agreement on broader issues remain tense and uncertain, according to sources. Ways to proceed on IP issues continue to be contemplated, with a key focus on the relationship between IP talks […]