ICANN CEO Atallah: Gearing Up For Next Round Of New Internet Domains 03/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment One controversial issue from early days of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) could come to final closure ten years later: the decoupling from US oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which manages the central root zone for the domain name system. Meanwhile, the next round of new internet domains is being teed up, the head of the domain name system oversight body has said.
Alleged Leaked TTIP Report Reveals Differences, Convergence On IP Issues 03/05/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments This week’s high-profile alleged leak of recent texts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiation between Europe and the United States sent a shockwave in policy circles. Below, Intellectual Property Watch highlights some of the IP-related elements in the text.
Infojustice.org – Australian Commission Recommends Fair Use To Restore Balance In Copyright Law 03/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Infojustice.org reports: A draft report by the Australian Productivity Commission (APC) concludes that the current copyright law fails to properly balance the interests of copyright holders and users. It warns that “Australia’s copyright arrangements are weighed too heavily in favour of copyright owners, to the detriment of the long-term interests of both consumers and intermediate users.” The APC makes recommends changes to the law to address the imbalance, including “the introduction of a broad, principles-based fair use exception.”
WSIS2016: Software Licensing Matters – To Everybody 02/05/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A special committee at the World Intellectual Property Organisation on software licensing, a globally harmonized software licence model and a dispute resolution system were among the ideas presented to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at panel it hosted at day one of the 2016 WSIS Forum meeting in Geneva.
On IP Protection, USTR Finds Fault With China, India … And Switzerland? 27/04/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) does not hesitate to add even its closest friends to its annual list of concerns about possible inadequate protection of US intellectual property rights. So this year, along with perennial listees China, India and dozens of others, vigorous IP-rights defender Switzerland makes an appearance. The annual Special 301 report was issued today, and in its press release this year, USTR also included its primary client in publishing the list – the rightsholder industry.
New Guide To WIPO Governance 27/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A new publication offering an overview of the World Intellectual Property Organization governance system seeks to contribute to ongoing debates on the organisation’s governance, according to its author.
Drawn Out Battle Over Genetic Resources Dampens Africa’s Hopes 27/04/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Chidi Oguamanam writes: The global South is full of significant, diverse biological and genetic resources. It’s also home to most of the world’s indigenous communities. This is why developing countries are sensitive about protecting their genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Indigenous communities enjoy a close relationship with nature. Genetic resources are central to producing their traditional knowledge. This drives innovations in agriculture, medicines and conservation. But global intellectual property frameworks – the legal mechanisms for securing knowledge ownership – still haven’t taken this reality into account.
Irony? Publisher Celebrates IP By Revoking IP 26/04/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment There’s no better way to celebrate something than by doing the opposite of it. That seems to be the message of a leading publishing company. In a campaign today to hail the virtues of intellectual property, it appears to be hoping to gain goodwill – and possibly some sales – by removing intellectual property on its products.
WIPO Digital Rightsholders Conference Ponders Business Ideas 25/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Last week’s World Intellectual Property Organization conference on the digital content business gathered speakers from different sectors of industry, from content producers to authors and performers. Rightsholders and others gave updates and tried to advance strategies for managing rights in a digital market.
At WIPO: All-Women Panel Of Broadcast Journalists Discuss Revolution In Industry 22/04/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment “What we are going through is nothing short of a revolution,” announced a leading radio and television broadcast editor, speaking yesterday at a World Intellectual Property Organization event on digital content. But the revolution seems to be coming in “snack-sized” portions, said speakers.