Split Over DMCA Safe Harbour Continues To Roil US Copyright Office Reform Efforts 23/02/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Internet service providers and copyright owners remain deeply divided over the effectiveness of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act safe harbour provisions, they said in additional submissions to a US Copyright Office inquiry.
Intellectual Property Watch Welcomes Three New Board Members 22/02/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the start of a new era in providing high-quality global news and information, Intellectual Property Watch is proud to announce the addition of three distinguished and eminent experts in their fields as new members of the IP-Watch Board of Directors.
Kenyan Regulator Cancels Leading Collective Management Licence To Streamline Music Royalties 22/02/2017 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NAIROBI, Kenya — In a move meant to streamline the collection of music royalties in Kenya, the government regulator declined to renew a 2017 licence for a leading collective organisation over unmet standards.
TRIPS Council To Consider The Two Sides Of IP – Innovation Booster And Barrier 21/02/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The role of intellectual property in innovation is expected to be considered through different lenses at the upcoming meeting of the World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property. A group of developed countries have proposed an agenda item on inclusive innovation in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, while discussions are expected on the report of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, and a side event featuring High-Level Panel members has been convened by a group of developing countries. Electronic commerce, and in particular copyright issues and electronic signatures are also on the agenda next week.
In US, New Tactics To Combat Online Copyright Infringement 21/02/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The death was quick, quiet, and unmourned. The Copyright Alert System – a once vaunted plan to stop online copyright infringement in the US – was killed on 27 January. Lasting only four years, CAS had accomplished little and satisfied no one, according to many experts. What went wrong? And what is the movie and music industries’ next plan to combat online infringement?
ARIPO, OAPI To Harmonise Practices On Intellectual Property In Africa 21/02/2017 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and its sister organisation, Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle [African Intellectual Property Organization] (OAPI) have signed a memorandum of understanding to harmonise the intellectual property systems of the two institutions.
Dismantling Of LiMux On Eve Of Pirate Party Security Conference 20/02/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment MUNICH — For the Pirate Party gathered at the Pirate Security Conference (PirateSecon) in Munich this is bad news. On the eve of the PirateSecon, held alongside the big Munich Security Conference, the city council of Munich decided to reverse the once-celebrated migration to LiMux, its much reported about Linux platform. For the German Pirate Party, the dismantling of “LiMux” is a step in the wrong direction. At the third edition of the Pirate Security Conference Pirate Party members from Luxembourg, Iceland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic discussed how to take back data and even algorithms – and how to win elections.
Search Engines, Rightsholders Agree Plan To Stop UK Consumers From Reaching Infringing Websites 20/02/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Search engines Google and Bing have signed a voluntary code of conduct with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Motion Picture Association to prevent consumers from being directed to copyright-infringing websites, the UK Intellectual Property Office said on 20 February. The deal, brokered by the IPO, comes into effect immediately and is intended to reduce the visibility of infringing content in searches by 1 June, the office said.
US Federal Court Bars Online Publication Of Copyrighted Standards Incorporated Into Laws 17/02/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a case pitting standards development organisations against internet content aggregators, a United States federal court ruled that Public.Resource.Org breached copyright by posting unauthorised copies of standards incorporated into government education regulations. Public Resource has appealed.
Argentinian Copyright Office Proposes To Add Exceptions And Limitations To Copyright Act 17/02/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On 12 December, the Argentinian Copyright Office and the Ministry of Culture invited a group of stakeholders, among which was this author, to discuss the final draft of the Exceptions and Limitations Bill (Proyecto de Ley de Excepciones) to modify current Copyright Act no.11.723 of 1933. One wonders whether it would be better to draft from scratch a modern Copyright Act instead of patching up the old 1933 Act. Nevertheless, the bill is welcomed. Argentina, as this author has already expressed, has one of the most restrictive copyright laws in the world (see Propuestas para ampliar el acceso a los bienes públicos en Argentina – Estableciendo el necesario balance entre derechos de propiedad intelectual y dominio público, Maximiliano Marzetti, Buenos Aires, 2013).