Interim WIPO Copyright Head Steps In As Members Resume Talks On Broadcasting Treaty, Exceptions 07/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on copyright opened today with an agenda of a potential treaty to protect broadcasting organisations against piracy, and copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries, archives, educational and research institutions, as well as for persons with disabilities other than visual impairment.
The Anniversary The World Trade Organization Would Rather Forget 06/12/2015 by Peter Ungphakorn for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Trade Organization (WTO)’s 20th anniversary celebrations are about to reach a climax with the 15–18 December Nairobi Ministerial Conference — the first to be held in Africa — following a celebratory Public Forum in Geneva in October. Just over a week before Nairobi, another anniversary is slipping by almost unnoticed. Today, December 6, is the 10th anniversary of a decision that the Director-General at the time, Pascal Lamy, hailed as confirmation “once again that members are determined to ensure the WTO’s trading system contributes to humanitarian and development goals.”
EU Trade Commissioner Announces Reading Rooms For TTIP Text In EU Capitals 05/12/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem, speaking to the President of the German Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, announced reading rooms for the consolidated texts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in all capitals of the EU member states.
IP Summit: Changes In Patent System, Intermediary Liability And The Future Of IP 04/12/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The stretch run for Europe’s Unitary Patent System (UPS) again took centre stage at the Premier Cercle IP Summit 2015 in Berlin yesterday. Eyes are on Germany for the ratification of the UPS. Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, president of the German Patent Office, in the keynote speech assured the 300 hundred participants Germany was preparing for the new system and called out to industry to prepare for the change, saying: “Check your portfolio now.”
New UNDP-Blind Union Report Helps Asia-Pacific Nations Ratify Marrakesh Treaty 03/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Nations Development Programme joined forces with the World Blind Union to prepare a new report aimed at facilitating Asia-Pacific countries’ ratification of a treaty designed to help visually-impaired people access special format books.
New Proposal At WIPO SCCR To Explore Use Of Copyrighted Works In Digital Environment 02/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Latin American and Caribbean countries have tabled a new proposal for next week’s meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on copyright. The proposal calls for analysing copyright related to the digital environment.
German Intelligence Services Oversight Body Files Action Against Government 02/12/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For the first time in its history, the G10 Commission, an oversight body over the German Intelligence Services, will go to court to challenge decisions by the German government and the services, German Public Broadcasting and the Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed last night.
ARIPO Continues To Build Member State IP Capacities 02/12/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) recently held two top organ meetings in Lusaka, Zambia, to debate the organisation’s strategic plan for 2016-2020.
European Court Of Human Rights Finds Turkey Violated Freedom Of Expression In YouTube Blocking 01/12/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Ten sites allegedly disrespectful to Kemal Attaturk, founder of modern Turkey, were enough for the courts in Turkey to ban a whole platform – YouTube – from 2008 until the end of 2010. But a ruling of the European Court of Human Rights today declared the blanket blocking a violation of the right to receive and impart information freely, protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Flexibility In The TPP Statutory Damages Provision 01/12/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Jonathan Band writes: During the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, many concerns were voiced about how TPP would mandate adoption of US-style statutory damages. Under the US Copyright Act, a court can award damages of up to $30,000 per work infringed, which can be ratcheted up to $150,000 per work infringed in cases of willful infringement. Scholars have found that statutory damages in the US have discouraged investment in innovative technologies while incentivizing the emergence of copyright trolls. So how bad is the statutory damages provision in the final TPP agreement?