A Look At Who’s Who In Geneva IP Policymaking And Beyond 24/09/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Doesn’t it always seem like as soon as you know who covers what at the permanent missions in Geneva, terms end, new assignments begin and you’re left exchanging business cards again? Well, we have it sorted with a substantial (but non-exhaustive) list of delegates responsible for IP issues this year in the world’s centre of diplomacy. Additionally, you’ll find the latest IP people news across national and regional governments, nonprofit organisations, and the private sector.
Copyright Industry Hard-Hitter Fritz Attaway Retires 21/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Fritz Attaway, a fighter for copyright in the international legal and policy trenches for nearly four decades has retired, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced today.
WTO Raises Attention To Multilateralism 21/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization is drawing attention to the importance of multilateralism, suggesting that regional trade agreements may undermine it, that the global economy depends on it, and that it should undergo a thorough analysis at next week’s WTO public forum.
Opposing Views: The Impact Of Canada’s Access Copyright Decision 21/09/2012 by Nancy Situ for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments One of the five Canadian Supreme Court cases handed down in mid-July considered whether photocopying by kindergarten to grade 12 teachers constitutes fair dealing. Since then, opinions have varied on whether the decision represents a broadening of the fair dealing doctrine or simply fact-specific guidance.
Transparency – Still An Uphill Battle In The EU 21/09/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Better access for the European Parliament to classified documents will be realised by an inter-institutional agreement passed nearly unanimously by the members of the European Parliament last week at their recent Strasbourg session.
Two Key Laws For The Public Domain Fare Differently In Argentine Congress 20/09/2012 by Maximiliano Marzetti for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Argentine Intellectual Property Act No. 11.723, which dates back to 1933, contains only one exception to copyright holders’ absolute power: the “droit de citation”, with an absolute maximum length of 1000 words or 8 bars for musical compositions, it must take into account the extension of the original work and is limited to certain non-profit uses only (education, research and the like).
ITU’s Line Of Defence On WCIT 18/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Telecommunication Union in a press briefing Monday evening tried to dispel what it is describing as “myths and misinformation” about the upcoming World Conference on International Communication (WCIT, December 3-14 in Dubai). “Although there are many important issues before the conference, unfortunately they are not receiving the media attention they deserve due to a paranoia created by claims that ITU wants to take over the internet,” Standardization Bureau Director Malcolm Johnson said.
Designated ICANN CEO Takes Over Early 14/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced that designated CEO Fadi Chehadé has assumed his new position.
European Parliament Passes Orphan Works Directive 13/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 10 Comments The European Parliament today passed a “directive on certain permitted uses of orphan works” with 531 in favour versus 65 opposed (11 abstentions). The directive will be a good first step toward allowing the digitisation and making available to the public of older copyrighted works that are buried in the archives and libraries of the Union because no rights holder can be located, the lead rapporteur Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg (S&D) and many supportive MEPs said.
ACTA: Will It Ever Become A Valid International Treaty? 13/09/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments A quiet and little-publicised ratification process might be the last hope for those pushing for international adoption of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). But while the Japanese legislature managed to finalise their ratification recently, processes in several ACTA signatory states seem to be stalled. Some may ask whether ACTA will ever become an international treaty.