Australian Tobacco Law May Head To WTO Dispute As TRIPS Council Meets 28/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Trade Organization committee responsible for intellectual property issues today is meeting to address its usual list of topics with two recent additions of international interest. Countries negotiating the embattled Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and a country opposed to Australia’s public health law on tobacco packaging have added these to the agenda. Sources at the meeting say opponents of the tobacco law may be near to filing a dispute settlement case at the WTO.
‘Balanced’ Copyright: Not A Magic Solving Word 27/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments It was obviously a moment of some embarrassment for the US Department of Commerce and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
US, WIPO IP Summit In Africa Postponed 26/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A training programme on intellectual property organised by the United States with several partners to be held in Africa in April has been postponed under pressure to make the programme more transparent and representative of all stakeholders.
The Pulse Of IP In International Pharma Today 24/02/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment High-level policymakers, industry leaders, law professors and other stakeholders came together in Geneva recently to discuss the how the role of intellectual property is evolving when it comes to developing, protecting, and providing medicines.
ACTA Ratification Suspended In Europe, Awaits High Court Opinion 23/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Union’s progress of adopting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiated last year has been suspended pending a ruling by Europe’s highest court, the European Trade Commissioner announced yesterday.
Special Report: TPP Negotiations To Heat Up In Melbourne Over Patents, Copyright, Medicines 21/02/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Precious little is known publicly about the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement being negotiated by the United States and other Pacific-bordering nations, but some sources say the agreement could contain some of the strongest language on intellectual property rights that has come under attack in other agreements. US trade negotiators, meanwhile, say they are consulting stakeholders widely.
ACTA Doubts Rampant In Europe; Industry Call For “Reasoned Assessment” 13/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 10 Comments Europeans came out by the thousands this week to protest the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), as it goes before the parliament and the remaining governments that have not yet signed on. But a large number of industry associations sent a letter pushing officials to carefully consider the agreement before dismissing it under popular pressure.
US, WIPO Training Programme On IP Rights In Africa Comes Under Fire 12/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments For years, some developing countries have insisted that developed countries – which own the vast majority of intellectual property rights – take a singular focus when it comes to offering technical assistance on IP rights: the protection of “northern” property. In recent years, negotiations in venues like the World Intellectual Property Organization have sought to ensure that such assistance also highlight the creation of local IP rights as well as the availability of flexibilities developing countries have under international rules for IP.
US Copyright Industries Call For Action On Piracy; NGOs Call For Scrutiny 10/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The major US copyright industries today issued a list they said “documents rampant online and physical piracy of copyrighted works and severe market access barriers.” Public interest groups will be watching closely to see if the list submitted to the US government is incorporated wholesale into a package of government assertions of inadequate protection of US intellectual property rights by trading partners.
Proposal For A New Model Giving Rights To Online Sharing Of Content 09/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new publication by a well-known open access advocate proposes a business model for sharing content online that would recognise sharing as a right.