No ACTA Deal Yet As EU Parliament Seeks Narrower Scope, More Transparency 20/12/2008 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch As negotiations on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) continued in Paris this week with again no public details the European Parliament Thursday sent a strong signal by requesting transparency in the negotiations. Parliament meeting in Strasbourg on 18 December passed a resolution on the impact of counterfeiting […]
Internet Governance Forum: ACTA A Possible Show-Stopper For IP Progress 14/12/2008 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch The third annual United Nations-led Internet Governance Forum in Hyderabad, India this month addressed a range of topics related to intellectual property rights and the free flow of information, and provided a venue for doubts about a closed-door international anti-counterfeiting treaty negotiation being led by the United States […]
US Technology, IP Industries Offer Policy Wish Lists For Obama 12/12/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The United States Chamber of Commerce is calling on President-Elect Barack Obama to fill key intellectual property enforcement posts within the first 100 days of taking office. Meanwhile, other trade associations also have delineated their wishes on IP, innovation and technology, with one calling for a drastic […]
An Alternative Proposal For Enhancing Developing Country Access To Patented Medicines 10/12/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch An intellectual property model intended to preserve the structure of patent protection while adding balance for developing countries has been proposed to provide incentives for innovators to contribute toward the alleviation of suffering in developing countries in dire need of patented medicines largely owned by rich countries. This […]
Rapid Rise In African Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts Led By Developed Nations 09/12/2008 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Nick Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch NAIROBI, KENYA – Amid fears that huge quantities of counterfeit medicines and pesticides are pouring into Africa, the international law enforcement agency INTERPOL is leading the way to invest more effort and money to bring authorities up to speed on the threat faced by those who depend on […]
Interview With Ray Beckerman, Defender Against RIAA 03/12/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Ray Beckerman is a commercial litigator and internet law attorney who has represented defendants that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has accused of music file sharing in copyright infringement lawsuits in the United States. Beckerman is an outspoken critic against the RIAA and recording companies EMI, SONY BMG, Warner Brothers, and affiliates’ five-year […]
Brazilian Draft Law Would Curb Expanded Patents On Pharmaceuticals 02/12/2008 by Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment [Update from the author: Brazil announced on 19 December adoption of the resolution against the extension of patent rights to second-use drugs and polymorphs. Such patents were seen as subterfuges from the pharmaceutical companies to expand their patent rights. The inter-ministry intellectual property group met on 1 December, but only announced the result on 19 […]
IP And Genetically Modified Organisms: A Fateful Combination, Activists Say 02/12/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez With the expanding scope of patents on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the implementation of such crops in most countries, farmers’ rights and biodiversity are at risk, and food security has become dependent on a few transnational biotechnological companies, according to speakers at a recent workshop in Geneva. The workshop was hosted […]
Librarians Take The Copyright Battleground In Developing Countries 26/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By William New CHISINAU, MOLDOVA – Creativity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when travelling through the kilometres of mostly grey, Soviet-era cement-block buildings outlying the capital of Moldova, often referred to as Europe’s poorest state. But at its centre, this small, transition economy is going through an exercise being repeated […]
Questions Raised About Google Library Project’s Impact On Knowledge Access 26/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New What has been heralded as a breakthrough in the digitisation of human knowledge is also raising questions about how most humans will access that knowledge, according to an expert in copyright and the public interest. Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, recently raised concerns about Google’s new […]