New US IP Enforcement Plan May Have International Impact 23/06/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The Obama administration’s release of its national intellectual property strategy yesterday was welcomed by many groups representing businesses and intellectual property holders who said it could serve as an example to other countries.
High Expectations This Week For Progress On Exceptions And Limitations At WIPO 22/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Limitations and exceptions are once again a major topic at the UN intellectual property organisation’s meeting on copyrights and related rights. Delegations this week are discussing several draft proposals to improve access, in particular for visually impaired people, each with their own set of recommendation. With a fourth and new proposal from the African countries on the table, delegates are meeting to try to find common ground, raising the expectations of civil society.
FIFA, Vuvuzelas And Facebook: The Global Trophy Of IP Protection 11/06/2010 by Emma Broster for Intellectual Property Watch and Cheikh Kane for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In the run-up to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa, sometimes described as the biggest marketing event in the world, there have been a number of instances where FIFA and local businesses have conflicted over the use of terms to advertise their products.
New Business Models Proposed In Debate On EU Culture And Copyright 09/06/2010 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments BRUSSELS – Small fees for internet users could be used to pay musicians and other artists for the dissemination of copyright-protected work online, a Brussels conference has been told.
New Rwanda IP Policy Taps Information For Development 08/06/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Information is the lifeblood of development,” says the government of Rwanda in a recently-adopted intellectual property policy, part of the country’s comprehensive development strategy. The new policy attempts to integrate Rwanda into the international IP system while simultaneously safeguarding the freedom it needs to drive its own innovation system.
Public Gets A Taste Of WIPO, Policy Debate On IP And Environment 07/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dressed in casual weekend attire with white and blue “WIPO Staff” t-shirts, World Intellectual Property Organization personnel on 5 June gave explanations and guidance on intellectual property rights to the public, while a blimp-shaped balloon advertised the event outside the building. The WIPO lobby was turned into an intellectual property fair with stands displaying the range of WIPO’s services, and a much-appreciated wine tasting.
Google May Face New Scrutiny For Privacy Violations In Switzerland 04/06/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Legally speaking, there is “little doubt” that Google’s collection of WiFi data by its roving Street View vehicles violates the Swiss Data Protection Act, and the company is likely to come under new scrutiny in Switzerland possibly even resulting in “severe financial consequences,” a respected Swiss law firm has said.
China, India To Raise Concerns At WTO About “TRIPS-Plus” Measures, ACTA 03/06/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments China and India, two increasingly potent players on the global economic stage, next week plan to voice concerns at the World Trade Organization about efforts by developed countries to push poorer trading partners beyond their WTO commitments on trade and intellectual property rights, so-called TRIPS-plus measures.
As WTO Reviews China, EU, US Criticise Its Policy On Innovation, IP Rights 03/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the past two years, China has acted to improve the protection of intellectual property rights with a need for continuing effort, a World Trade Organization report has found, but the country came under criticism this week from key trading partners such as the United States and the European Union for not providing adequate enforcement and for self-serving innovation practices.
US, China Weaving Closer Trade and IP Cooperation; Focus On Innovation 01/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United States and China are strengthening their relationship on innovation and intellectual property rights as the global economy is slowly taking an upward turn. Those may come as signs of positive collaboration on the delicate issue of IP rights in the face of ongoing questions by US industry and government about the impact of China’s IP rights infringement on American jobs.