The ACTA Threat To The Future Of WIPO 14/04/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 25 Comments Developing countries would do well to demand a place at the table as negotiations for an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement undermine the multilateral approach to intellectual property policy making, argues Michael Geist.
Trademark Decision Brews Up French-Press Coffee Competition 06/04/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Connoisseurs of French-press coffee based in the United States will still be able to choose between two competing distributors for their favourite brewing device following a recent US court decision over trademark rights on the distinctive coffeemakers.
Special Interests Seeking Power In ICANN’s New Stakeholder Group 04/04/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which coordinates the global domain name system, is in the process of reforming its core bodies, and consumer representatives and others see a possibility to inject more balance into the international organisation’s stakeholder groups long dominated by a range of private sector representatives.
“Burning The Ships” — IP And The New, Open Microsoft 03/04/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments An interview with Marshall Phelps, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for intellectual property policy and strategy and a mastermind behind IBM’s and Microsoft’s massive IP valuations, and David Kline, journalist, author and intellectual property consultant, on their new book, “Burning The Ships,” which looks inside Microsoft’s IP strategy.
PFF On Cooling The World By Misappropriating Patent Rights 01/04/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Sidney Rosenzweig of the Progress & Freedom Foundation writes that some countries, such as China, want to take advantage of new environmental technologies without having to pay, and are advocating the use of compulsory licences to access them.
Videocast With Georg Greve On Software Patents 30/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Georg Greve of Free Software Foundation Europe makes the case that software fails a three-step test to determine patentability.
Are Patent Exceptions Necessary For Climate Change Technology? Defining WIPO’s Role 26/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Addressing the challenge of climate change will require technological solutions and the dissemination of those solutions to as many users as possible. A panel at the World Intellectual Property Organization Tuesday asked how intellectual property law might help or hinder that transfer, and what role the organisation might play in creating the right policy.
Concerns Voiced At WIPO Over Potential Conflicts Between IP And Standards 25/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Regulatory caution on technology standards and intellectual property rights is increasingly necessary, as technology – and the need for interoperability between platforms – dominates the market economy as well as global communications, said a panel on patents and standards Monday.
Agricultural Technology Could Feed Rising Population, But Who Will Own Crops? 20/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and Catherine Saez 3 Comments The genetic revolution has come to food, as debates over how to deal with future pressures of population and climate change look to agricultural technology in hope of answers. But questions still remain over who owns the technology, who will do the research, and what forms of – and even whether – biotechnology is appropriate to human needs and the needs of smallholding farmers.
Choruss’s Covenant: The Promised Land (Maybe) For Record Labels; A Lesser Destination For Everyone Else 17/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments Bennett Lincoff writes: If Choruss abandons the time-tested approach of licensing and relies instead on covenants not to sue, it will facilitate a brazen money grab by the major labels it represents, leaving songwriters, recording artists and music publishers empty-handed, and college students holding the bag.