WIPO Assembly Adopts Revisions For Stronger Oversight, Protection Of Whistleblowers 11/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment After much negotiation, amendments to a World Intellectual Property Organization internal oversight mechanism were adopted today by the annual WIPO General Assembly. Under the amendments, investigating allegations of wrongdoing of high-ranking WIPO officials will be made more transparent and facilitate access to documents by WIPO member states in case of an investigation.
Which “Brazil” Will Chair The Marrakesh Treaty Assembly? 11/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The supposedly impossible happened: The Marrakesh Treaty entered into force on 30 September, three months after reaching the necessary minimum of 20 ratifications. By then, 22 countries had done so – two more did so during the Marrakesh Assembly.
Interview With Brazilian Culture Minister Marcelo Calero 10/10/2016 by William New and Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At last week’s first-ever Assembly of the Marrakesh Treaty, Intellectual Property Watch caught up with the Assembly Chair, new Brazilian Culture Minister Marcelo Calero. He talked briefly about the importance of libraries and of implementing the Marrakesh Treaty.
WIPO Assembly: IP-Watch Tally Of Finished And Pending Items 10/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the 2016 World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies near their close on 11 October, Intellectual Property Watch provides an update on what’s been agreed and what’s still outstanding among the key issues.
Members Still Debating Changes To Oversight At WIPO 10/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Stung by what some saw as a botched process for handling allegations from senior officials about the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO members are working this week to agree on changes to procedures. A new draft text circulated this morning introduces additional responsibility for governments in the process, and is under discussion today. At press time, ambassadors from the African Group were meeting and asked to hold up the process until internal agreement could be reached on the text. The plenary is scheduled to reconvene at four o’clock today.
Gurry Off The Hook, Investigation Ends, WIPO Says 07/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The member governments of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization, after considering a confidential UN investigation report on whistleblower charges against WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, have decided to end the case without discipline, WIPO has said. Instead, members are working to bolster whistleblower protections, internal oversight and procurement procedures at the agency for the future.
WIPO Members Work To Toughen Up Procedures For Investigations Of High-Level Officials 07/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Member governments of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are working intensively in a closed-door session today to make changes to the way allegations of wrongdoing against high-ranking WIPO officials are handled. What is not clear from the secretive discussions is whether any action will be taken against the director general as a result of a UN investigation of his activities, for which the UN report is on the meeting agenda.
Facebook Crowned Privacy Villain Of 2016 By European Privacy Rights Group 07/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A European civil society group defending rights and freedoms in the digital environment awarded Facebook the Belgian Big Brother Awards 2016 yesterday.
Vibrant Lauding Of “Historic” Marrakesh Treaty For The Blind At WIPO 06/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Great victory”, “life-changing”, “historic milestone” – no adjectives were strong enough yesterday to celebrate the entry into force of the Marrakesh treaty at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The treaty, which went into effect on 30 September, “opens the door to the world’s knowledge,” to visually impaired people, but will need many more countries to join, in particular countries that are major producers of special format books – the United States and the European Union.
Fall Is A Time For Farewells, Hellos At UN Agencies, Law Offices, NGOs, Industry 06/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As autumn rolled in, two United Nations agencies chose global figures to help them with their missions, another has a new website, and changed heads, while non-governmental organisations, law offices, and industry also saw numerous changes at management level.