WIPO Roving Seminars Reach Out To Stakeholders In Developed Countries 18/06/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has initiated a programme of reaching out to stakeholders in developed countries with “roving seminars” on WIPO services and initiatives. The programme targets potential WIPO customers, promotes local IP services and offices, and promotes intellectual property protection.
EU Parliament Hearing: Data Protection Not A Trade Barrier, But A Fundamental Right 18/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At a hearing on data flows and data protection in trade agreements this week, several members of the European Parliament called for the clear exemption of current and future data protection regulation from ongoing trade negotiations.
CERN Open Innovation Project Steps Up Collaboration 17/06/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A collaboration between the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and leading information and telecommunications technology companies has entered a new phase in dealing with challenges in IT infrastructures. This new phase also marks the inclusion of public research organisations in the collaboration. Separately, the program director discussed the role of intellectual property rights at the lab.
News Portals Have Some Liability For Unlawful Content, European Court Of Human Rights Finds 16/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In the landmark case of Delfi v. Estonia, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights today decided that news portals could be held liable for clearly unlawful content in third party postings.
European Parliament Committee Copyright, Trade Secret Votes 16/06/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In voting that took over an hour due to the more than 550 amendments proposed, the European Parliament Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee Tuesday adopted an own-initiative report by German MEP Julia Reda of the Greens/European Free Alliance intended to make sweeping changes to EU copyright law. The report is expected to feed into the European Commission’s (EC’s) copyright reform proposal expected later this year. JURI also backed draft rules on legal redress for theft and misuse of business trade secrets, but said they must in turn respect freedom of information and expression and safeguard whistle-blowers.
ICANN Is Not The Internet Content Police 16/06/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment ICANN’s Allen Grogan writes: Allow me to say this clearly and succinctly – ICANN is not a global regulator of Internet content, nor should the 2013 Registry Accreditation Agreement (RAA) be interpreted in such a way as to put us in that role. Our mission is to coordinate, at the overall level, the global Internet’s systems of unique identifiers, and in particular, to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN was never granted, nor was it ever intended that ICANN be granted, the authority to act as a regulator of Internet content.
Digital Migration Brings New Intellectual Property Challenges 16/06/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The era of analogue television broadcasting is coming to an end in different parts of the world and is being replaced with digital terrestrial broadcasting. The transaction deadline day widely known as the ‘Digital Switchover Date’ is tomorrow, 17 June.
EPO Director Says Keep Patent Harmonisation Multilateral; Defends Staff Moves 16/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European Patent Office President Benoît Batistelli, in an exchange with the Legal Affairs Committee (Juri) of the European Parliament today (15 June), recommended against including harmonisation of patent policy in bilateral negotiations like the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). He also defended his office’s actions on heated staff matters. But he did not address a breaking allegation of EPO surveillance of computers in its building.
WIPO-WEF: Pairing Developing Country Inventors With Patent Attorneys 15/06/2015 by Elena Bourtchouladze for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Under the new Inventor Assistance Program established jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Economic Forum, inventors and small businesses with limited financial means coming from a developing country will be able to seek pro bono legal assistance of patent attorneys to obtain patent protection.
World Summit On Information Society (WSIS) Review Roadmap Taking Shape 12/06/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations is leading a mandated review of the 2003-2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) this year, culminating in a high-level meeting in December. This week, UN member states discussed the roadmap to December in a “stock-taking” exercise.