WIPO Seminar Looks At Protection Of TK, Genetic Resources Across Borders 25/06/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Keen on maintaining momentum in the discussions on the protection of traditional knowledge and genetic resources, while the normative agenda on the issue is suspended, the World Intellectual Property Organization is holding a seminar on the subject this week.
Secret Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Takes Centre Stage In Asia 24/06/2015 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), part of US President Barack Obama’s promised pivot to Asia, has stirred up a hornet’s nest on the ethics of trying to hammer out a trade deal in secrecy. But it is not the only one. A proposed trade agreement in Asia, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), is facing the same hiccups and flak.
Experts Debate IANA Transition: “Designing In A Straitjacket” Or Securing Stability? 22/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet expert groups this week are being asked if they agree to a proposal prepared in thousands of hours of voluntary work to transition key elements of internet control away from the United States government. Meanwhile, the US confirmed that the process of transition will extend well beyond the target of September of this year, and some countries are deploring that the transition was not started with a “clean slate.”
IANA Transition Slipping; Technical Communities Ask For Phases 19/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Preparations for transitioning the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) – with core elements of the global internet – out of United States oversight do not appear to on track for the 30 September deadline. As a result, cautious pressure is mounting from the internet protocol numbers administration and protocol standardisation bodies to consider at least a “phased implementation” of the transition.
UN Expert Urges Encryption, Anonymity Online To Preserve Freedom Of Expression 18/06/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United Nations expert on freedom of expression this week has brought international attention to the need for individuals to be able to share completely encrypted, anonymous communications on the internet in order to preserve rights related to freedom of expression and opinion worldwide.
WIPO Roving Seminars Reach Out To Stakeholders In Developed Countries 18/06/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has initiated a programme of reaching out to stakeholders in developed countries with “roving seminars” on WIPO services and initiatives. The programme targets potential WIPO customers, promotes local IP services and offices, and promotes intellectual property protection.
EU Parliament Hearing: Data Protection Not A Trade Barrier, But A Fundamental Right 18/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At a hearing on data flows and data protection in trade agreements this week, several members of the European Parliament called for the clear exemption of current and future data protection regulation from ongoing trade negotiations.
News Portals Have Some Liability For Unlawful Content, European Court Of Human Rights Finds 16/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In the landmark case of Delfi v. Estonia, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights today decided that news portals could be held liable for clearly unlawful content in third party postings.
European Parliament Committee Copyright, Trade Secret Votes 16/06/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In voting that took over an hour due to the more than 550 amendments proposed, the European Parliament Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee Tuesday adopted an own-initiative report by German MEP Julia Reda of the Greens/European Free Alliance intended to make sweeping changes to EU copyright law. The report is expected to feed into the European Commission’s (EC’s) copyright reform proposal expected later this year. JURI also backed draft rules on legal redress for theft and misuse of business trade secrets, but said they must in turn respect freedom of information and expression and safeguard whistle-blowers.
ICANN Is Not The Internet Content Police 16/06/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment ICANN’s Allen Grogan writes: Allow me to say this clearly and succinctly – ICANN is not a global regulator of Internet content, nor should the 2013 Registry Accreditation Agreement (RAA) be interpreted in such a way as to put us in that role. Our mission is to coordinate, at the overall level, the global Internet’s systems of unique identifiers, and in particular, to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN was never granted, nor was it ever intended that ICANN be granted, the authority to act as a regulator of Internet content.