WIPO Scrounges For Funds For Indigenous Participants In Key Treaty Negotiations 15/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization members are nearing conclusion of negotiations for an international instrument or instruments on issues critical to indigenous peoples, such as protection of traditional indigenous knowledge, practices and genetic resources. But the WIPO membership as a whole has been miserly when it comes to funding indigenous peoples’ participation in the process, and now many are in danger of being left out of the process.
Members Concerned Over WIPO 2014/2015 Programme, Budget; New Treaties On The Way 14/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization’s proposed programme and budget for the next biennium faced some tough questioning from the UN agency’s member states last week. Meanwhile, WIPO is anticipating a series of treaty negotiations in the next two years.
WIPO Copyright Meeting Postponed To December 13/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) that was scheduled for late July has been postponed until December.
WIPO Seeks To Open New Offices Around The World 09/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The UN World Intellectual Property Organization is proposing to open five new regional offices around the world next year, with more envisioned in the future. In a move it says is in response to requests from its members, WIPO aims to open offices in China, Russia, the United States and two in unnamed African countries. And doing so will help defend the global intellectual property system from cyber attacks by the likes of Anonymous, it says.
WIPO Innovation Division On Chopping Block? 04/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Several years ago, the World Intellectual Property Organization set up an “Innovation Division”, headed by US patent lawyers, including a top Silicon Valley attorney and a top lawyer for a giant non-practising entity (“patent troll”). WIPO has been rather secretive about it, offering no interviews to Intellectual Property Watch with the officials heading the division despite repeated requests. Now a letter from US industry groups raises concern that the division may be headed for a budget cut that would effectively eliminate it.
Infojustice.org: UN Consumer Guidelines Could Be Updated For Digital Rights, A2K 26/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Infojustice.org reports: “Over the last three years a global network of consumer activists has been crafting a set of amendments to an influential global instrument, the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection, that could provide a powerful global standard for digital rights and access to knowledge. UNCTAD agreed to their review and set a date – July 11 and 12 – at which to consider proposed amendments.”
Publishers Urge European Commission To Reject Google’s Competition Proposal 26/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hundreds of European publishers have issued a call for the European Commission to reject draft remedies put forward by Google to settle concerns about market dominance in web searching and search advertising.
WIPO Negotiators Urged To Speed Up, As Musician Stevie Wonder Steps Up 21/06/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Pop star Stevie Wonder was a surprise guest this morning at the plenary session of the World Intellectual Property Organization diplomatic conference in Marrakesh concocting a treaty to facilitate access for blind people to books. The president of the diplomatic conference also exhorted delegates to bridge gaps and reach consensus.
Members Of US Congress Seek Pressure On India Over IP Rights 20/06/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A large portion of the United States Congress this week signed on to a letter to President Obama criticising India for its treatment of intellectual property rights.
Experts Propose Principles For IP Provisions In Bilateral, Regional Agreements 20/06/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For several years, research at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law (MPI) – in collaboration with experts from all over the world – has examined the trend of bilateral and regional agreements that include provisions on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.