Interview With Catherine Chammartin, Director General Of The Swiss Federal Institute Of Intellectual Property 29/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Catherine Chammartin is the Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). A former specialist in international tax policy, she took office at IPI in November 2015. In an exclusive interview with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez, she explained the priorities of the office under her leadership, and the office’s contribution to the success of Switzerland’s innovation record.
Multi-Agency Conference Addresses Positive Aspects Of ‘Respect For IP’ 26/10/2018 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Conference delegates at the Respect for IP international conference held in South Africa this week were participants in a series of top-level panel discussions about the conference theme that included views about balancing intellectual property’s economic value with achieving social development goals.
ICANN63: The “Practical Peace Project” – Tested By IP Rights Concerns And A Privacy Tussle 23/10/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BARCELONA, Spain — The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is struggling over Europe’s privacy legislation. Is there a data “war” in the making? It is exactly 20 years since the founding of ICANN and two years after being finally fully privatized, and the self-regulatory internet domain name body has been named a “practical peace project underway” by its President and CEO Göran Marby. But it is now struggling with an old issue: privacy and access to personal information in the Whois database.
Microsoft Joins Open Invention Network In A “Nice Validation” Of Open Source Movement 12/10/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Tech giant Microsoft’s 10 October announcement that it will participate in the Open Invention Network is a “nice validation” of the organisation and a pragmatic acknowledgement that the open source software community is interdependent, CEO Keith Bergelt said in an 11 October interview. Microsoft said its decision to join reflects its changing views on patent practice.
US Music Modernization Act Becomes “The Law Of The Land”; A Boost For Songwriter Compensation 12/10/2018 by Emmanuel Legrand for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Music Modernization Act, legislation that will transform the music licensing framework in the United States, was signed into law by President Donald Trump during a ceremony at the White House on 11 October that included several artists such as Sam Moore from Sam & Dave, Kid Rock, Mike Love of the Beach Boys and Jeff Baxter of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, among others.
Trade Agreements Making Rules In New Technologies, Territoriality An Issue For IP In Digital Age 11/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments As new technologies have pervaded society, with more to come, policymaking has become a difficult exercise. Rules established before those game-changing technologies might be outdated. A session at the World Trade Organization Public Forum last week looked at how intellectual property rules are faring in the time of digital technologies. Speakers remarked on the role of regional trade agreements in norm-setting, and the growing issue of the territoriality of rights for copyright.
IP Rights Increasingly Traded In New Digital Age, WTO Panel, Report Say 11/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The digital revolution has transformed the way trade is taking place. The share of goods like CDs, books and newspaper is dropping in terms of global trade volume, pushed down by digital goods. In that context, intellectual property rights are also increasingly traded, in particular IP licences, in what a World Trade Organization official defined as a major phenomenon. While the United States is the leader in the digital market, China took pole position in video games in 2017.
EU Updates Customs Action Plan To Fight Growing IPR Infringements 10/10/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Concerned by the ever-increasing influx of counterfeit and pirated goods into Europe, European Union member states on 9 October backed a new customs action plan for 2018-2022. The first step will be a roadmap for implementation from the European Commission (EC) by next spring.
WIPO’s Coordination Committee Seats And The Election For Next Director General 10/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Developing country members are asking to have more representation in the World Intellectual Property Organization governing bodies, and the issue is taking on increased importance as one of the committees will play a key role in the election of the next WIPO director general in 2020.
Broadcasters Eager For Global Signal Protection; Others Warn Of Major Players Sneaking In 09/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The so-called broadcasting treaty being negotiated at the World Intellectual Property Organization is supported by broadcasters’ organisations in the hope that it will stanch signal piracy. Some voices however, warn about creating a right that might be captured by large internet corporations such as Facebook, Google and Netflix, which can be a stone’s throw away from acquiring radio or television channels to qualify for the protection of the potential treaty. They also challenge the duration and scope of the protection. A seminar gathering stakeholders last week looked at implications of the treaty.