WHO IP Submissions Going Public; Working Paper Ready In July 03/04/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen BRUSSELS – Sixteen member states of the World Health Organization have submitted their views on the way forward for an intergovernmental working group on public health and intellectual property, according to a senior WHO official. The views are expected to be posted online this week. These documents relate to the […]
Rights, Content Issues May Complicate Internet Domain Name Expansion 02/04/2007 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch LISBON – The rejection of the .xxx top-level domain by the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) last week in Lisbon was a major highlight of the meeting of the private-sector domain name system technical body, showing its slide into the judgment of […]
Panel On US Patent Law Ethics Finds Compromises and Hope 31/03/2007 by John T. Aquino for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By John T. Aquino for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Panellists at the all-day 29 March symposium “Ethical Issues in Patent Law” expressed frustration at the inability to improve patent system processes that self-protectively resist change. But the symposium was also filled with lessons on dealing with ethical issues and a determination to keep […]
EU Copyright Enforcement Draft Clears Parliamentary Panel; Concerns Linger 23/03/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A European Commission proposal to criminalise commercial intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements is headed for a vote in the European Parliament despite strong opposition to some provisions from industry sectors and consumer groups. On 20 March, members of the Legal Affairs (JURI) committee backed a report authored by […]
Google’s Expanded Functions Spark More Lawsuits and Debate 22/03/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Google is turning the intellectual property world on its head as it battles challenges to its search, book publishing and online video activities. The outcome of the debate over whether any are compatible with copyright law is by no means certain, legal experts said this week. Yet Google doesn’t think it is shaking up copyright law, said Rachel Whetstone, director of European corporate communications and public affairs.
Seminar Addresses Liability, Filtering Of User-Posted Online Content 19/03/2007 by John T. Aquino for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By John T. Aquino for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – “What goes up on the Internet must come down because of copyright infringement until it goes up again,” according to James DeLong, moderator of a 16 March seminar in Washington, DC. The seminar heard views on liability, filtering and copyrights related to user-generated content online, and offered a voice to Viacom to explain its legal attack on Google’s popular video upload site YouTube.
In Clash With Activists, Critics Charge Thailand Violation Of Trade Rules 19/03/2007 by Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Critics of Thailand’s decision to issue compulsory licenses for several patented drugs said the Thai government violated global trade rules, as they clashed with public health activists at a 16 March briefing on Capitol Hill, home of the United States Congress. Ronald A. Cass, dean […]
WIPO Addresses Rapid Rise In Patent Information Use 19/03/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The use of an online, searchable patent-information system run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has tripled in the past 12 months, according to WIPO. But a recent colloquium on the topic showed that patent information is still an untapped resource that could be better utilised, and WIPO is […]
Record Global Trademark Filings in 2006; China Tops Designations 15/03/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The year 2006 was “a very good year” for the international trademark system with a record number of filings, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). China and Russia were the favourite countries in terms of where trademarks should apply, while Germany remained the top source country for filers […]
EU Parliament: Competition Yes, But No ‘Big Bang’ For Collective Rights 14/03/2007 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch The European Parliament this week passed a resolution on cross-border collective rights management asking for a framework directive at the EU level that would encourage more competition. But parliamentary members of the bigger political party groups warned against a “big bang” of unrestricted competition and an overly rapid […]