Negotiators, Stakeholders Tell Tale Of WIPO Marrakesh Treaty Negotiation, Look To Implementation 20/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Several negotiators and other stakeholders participating in last June’s successful negotiation of an international treaty to ease access to reading material for blind and visually impaired people recently gathered in Washington, DC to look back on the remarkable and at-times bitter talks. Months later, not all agree on certain historical details, such as the US position, but all agree it was a significant accomplishment.
Members Of US Congress Urge US To Oppose Re-Election Of WIPO Director Gurry 20/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments A handful of influential members of the United States Congress have sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the Obama administration not to support the re-election of World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry.
Parliament Member Named IP Adviser To UK Prime Minister 18/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A member of the UK Parliament active in promoting intellectual property rights has been named the UK prime minister’s adviser on IP with a focus on enforcement.
Meeting Highlights Use Of Open Data In Science, Health And Sustainable Development 18/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the end of a two-day conference in Switzerland, open knowledge experts emphasised the role of open data in strengthening science findings’ credibility, fostering medical research and enhancing sustainable development.
Motion Picture Association Study Finds Search Engines Complicit In Piracy 18/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study released today by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the company of members of the United States Congress found that internet search engines play a key role in user access to copyright infringing content online. The copyright industry study will be used to make the case that search engine companies, such as Google, need to take more responsibility in deterring use of unauthorised content without compensation to the rightsholders.
Stop Treating Symptoms And Start Curing Diseases: The End Of Graduated Response 18/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Rene Summer writes: The debate about copyright enforcement – whether rights holders’ unshakable conviction in the effectiveness of graduated responses is rational – has reached a watershed. This is not to say that there aren’t any ongoing, well-funded lobby campaigns around the world aimed at convincing policy makers to revert to the practice of some form of graduated response. Nor am I saying that there aren’t any other important considerations, such as the rights of citizens and intermediaries, to be weighted in when debating copyright enforcement, lessening the case for such practices. Rather, what I am saying is that arguing for graduated responses can no longer be done on efficiency grounds without at the same time being intellectually dishonest.
Experts Chart How To Take Open Knowledge Success To Next Level 18/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The process of opening up data from the public and private sectors has achieved relevant success in recent years, but many challenges are still to be overcome to make data really accessible and usable by the public. These were the main ideas that emerged from a meeting of open knowledge experts in Geneva yesterday.
Infojustice: Peruvian Legislators File Motion Seeking Public Debate On Trans-Pacific Partnership 16/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Infojustice.org writes: On August 28, a group of members of the Peruvian legislature – the Parlamentario Acción Popular-Frente Amplio – proposed a motion that asks for greater transparency in the Trans Pacific Partnership Negotiations. Specifically, the motion seeks “a public, political, and technical debate on the proposals of the Trans-pacific Partnership” and requests “the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism and the technical team in charge of the Trans-pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to report on the matter.”
Open Knowledge In The Spotlight This Week In Geneva 16/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Experts from all over the world are gathered this week in Switzerland to discuss open data initiatives, trends and future developments in the context of the 2013 Open Knowledge Conference, an annual event organised by the Open Knowledge Foundation.
Review Of US IP Enforcement, Copyright Reform Process Stir Interest 16/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States government is undertaking substantive review of, and strategy for, its intellectual property system, with an eye toward a major overhaul of aspects such as copyright. And stakeholders are leaping at the opportunity to comment.