A Cautious Welcome For South Africa’s Traditional Knowledge Legislation 29/04/2015 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment South Africa’s new indigenous knowledge systems legislation is being cautiously welcomed by commentators, expressing both hopes and concerns. And some are tying it to other intellectual property legislation in the country.
Positive Note For WIPO Committee On IP And Development, Some Issues Remain 28/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments At the close of the session of the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) last week, delegates left on a positive note. Despite not achieving concrete results on several issues, the meeting was described as encouraging by some participants. Technical assistance remained one of the prickly issues, as well as the mechanism for WIPO committees to report on their implementation of the Development Agenda.
Seminar Discusses Global Value Chains And Development 28/04/2015 by Elena Bourtchouladze for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Participation in global value chains contributes to economic growth, while trade and trade-related policies, such as foreign direct investment, intellectual property protection, trade facilitation, infrastructure and institutions, together with deeper regional integration have important impacts on global value chain integration in developing countries. This was the view of speakers at a recent event in Geneva.
Largest Internet Exchange Point Announces Complaint Against Snooping 24/04/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments MUNICH – It was a big day for counter-surveillance yesterday. Decix, the largest internet traffic exchange point (IXP) worldwide, announced it has had it with the snoops. Meanwhile, the Inquiry Committee came to the conclusion that the BND had withheld information from its oversight bodies on how broad the tapping really was. Separately, a two-part report presented to the LIBE Committee of the Parliament in Brussels focused on potential countermeasures to the “fact” of mass surveillance by intelligence agencies. And a resolution on mass surveillance was passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE).
Divide And Conquer: The New US Strategy To Disentangle The TPP Negotiations 23/04/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Burcu Kilic & Pablo Viollier write: Political leaders in Washington and other Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiating countries have set the end of May as the latest deadline for completion of the talks. The negotiations have already missed several such deadlines, so who really knows? No one. But there is something we all know: TPP raises significant concerns because negotiations are being held behind closed doors with details kept secret even from the legislatures in TPP countries.
UN Expert Says Secret Trade Negotiations A Threat To Human Rights 23/04/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments The United Nations independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order raised concerns over the lack of awareness about the negative effects that free trade and investment agreements have on human rights, especially in developing countries. The Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de […]
WIPO CDIP: New Proposals Rekindle Conversation On IP And Development 23/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Among the outstanding issues at the World Intellectual Property Organization is how WIPO committees report to the General Assembly on their implementation of the organisation’s Development Agenda Recommendations. At this week’s meeting on the issue, a new proposal submitted by Mexico attempts to breach differences.
Canada’s Budget Extends Copyright For Sound Recordings From 50 To 70 Years 22/04/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Canada’s federal government 2015 budget released yesterday contains several pro-intellectual property measures aimed at boosting the economy. The measures include greater protection of confidential client-advisor communications, and the extension of copyright terms for sound recordings and performances from 50 years to 70 years. “Economic Action Plan 2015 also proposes to amend the Copyright Act to […]
WIPO: The Future Of Music In A Changing Environment 22/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What lies ahead for music in the digital economy was the subject of a roundtable today at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Inaugurating a photo exhibition on the same theme, the United States ambassador stressed the importance of copyright. The roundtable took place on 21 April and was one of the events organised by WIPO celebrating the upcoming World IP Day on 26 April.
Update On Yale/IP-Watch Effort To Open TPP Texts 21/04/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual Property Watch has been working for several years to obtain more details about the intellectual property aspects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and a subsequent lawsuit to enforce that request, which is being led by a team at the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School (MFIA). Today MFIA, a program of Yale’s Information Society Project and Abrams Institute, released an update on the case.