“Entrenched Anti-Consumer Bias” Found In Copyright Laws; Creators Launch Petition For Better Contracts 23/04/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A major consumer group today released the results of its annual survey of 30 countries’ copyright laws and concluded that bias against consumers in favour of multinational copyright holders is “entrenched” and that there is a “global outcry” about overly strong copyright enforcement legislation. Meanwhile, international journalists groups joined songwriters, composers, film directors, screenwriters, illustrators, photographers and visual authors across Europe today to launch a public campaign “to bring an end to the unfair contractual practices facing creators.”
EU: Key Committee Urged To Seek Parliamentary Rejection Of ACTA 17/04/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The rapporteur of the lead committee of the European Parliament on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, David Martin, today published his draft recommendation on the highly controversial agreement. If the International Trade Committee agrees on the draft, the plenary will be asked to state that it “declines to consent to conclusion of the agreement.”
Changes Coming For Open Access To Research In Europe 16/04/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Pressure is growing in Europe for open, free access to research results, particularly if they are publicly funded. The European Commission (EC) said this week it will propose a plan for open access soon, while the Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK are cracking down on researchers who don’t comply with their policies.
Is ACTA Dying And Are G8 Countries Reacting To Its Impending Death? 15/04/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Rapporteurs for three committees of the European Parliament (Legal, Industry and Trade, and International Trade) have tabled reports or announced what they will propose on the plurilateral Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). And the Group of 8 may have signalled a shift to a narrower approach on intellectual property rights at its meeting last week.
Former Senior Staff Say OECD Countries Trying To Stifle UNCTAD’s Work 12/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A letter co-signed by 49 former staff members of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development denouncing efforts by some countries to muffle the institution’s voice was released yesterday at a press conference.
Interview With Vladimir Nika: Enforcing IP Rights In Albania 2010 – 2015 12/04/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In 2010, institutions in Albania created a strategy to help enforce intellectual property rights within five years. Intellectual Property Watch recently conducted a written Q and A with Vladimir Nika, Albanian office director for the Eastern European law firm PETOŠEVIĆ, on the progress and prospects for the Albanian legislature’s implementation of the 2010 IPR enforcement strategy.
US Government Report: IP Boon To US Economy, Accounts For 40 Million Jobs 12/04/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property-intensive industries in the United States support at least 40 million jobs and contribute more than $5 trillion – or 34.8 percent of – US gross domestic product (GDP), according to a report released by the Obama administration Wednesday.
Trade And Development With A Dash Of IP: Conference To Set Course For UNCTAD 11/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The quadrennial conference of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) sets the course of the UN body work for the next four years. The mandate of the conference has evolved since its creation to become mainly a provider of research, policy analysis and technical assistance to developing countries. This time around, the conference will serve as a wide-ranging forum for trade and development issues, and intellectual property issues will haunt discussions in several areas.
WIPO Seeks To Calm Anxiety About Technical Assistance To North Korea 06/04/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN World Intellectual Property Organization has responded to a question about its provision of technical assistance to North Korea, saying it is standard procedure as authorised by its member states hoping to bring developing countries on board the global IP system.
Court Issues Decision On Intermediary Liability In Viacom v. YouTube 05/04/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Today, a US appellate court released its decision in a key case in which rights holders asserted that online video site YouTube should be liable for copyright infringing content appearing on its site. According to a preliminary reading, the appeals court reversed the earlier decision, signalling that YouTube, owned by Google, could have known about infringing content and therefore may not fit under the safe harbor clause of the US Digital Millenniumn Copyright Act limiting the liability of online service providers.