US, Japan Agree To “Inject New Momentum” Into TPP Talks 25/04/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Japan and the United States today announced their renewed commitment to an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The statement from the bilateral leaders’ meeting followed reports that bilateral talks toward the TPP were stalling. The White House statement reads: “The United States and Japan also coordinate closely in multilateral financial and economic fora to advance […]
Debate Over Inclusion Of IP In NetMundial Outcome Document 24/04/2014 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Final decisions are pending if and how intellectual property protection should be covered in the outcome document of the NetMundial meeting in Sao Paolo, which comes to a close tonight.
Consensus On Principles Difficult To Bake Into Two-Day NetMundial 24/04/2014 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Consensus on the outcome document seemed elusive on day one of the NetMundial meeting that started in Sao Paulo yesterday. But ambitions are high for many.
Ten Questions About Internet Governance 22/04/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On April 23 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the “Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance,” also known as “NETmundial” in an allusion to the global football event that will occur later in that country, will be convened. Juan Alfonso Fernández González of the Cuban Communications Ministry and a veteran of the UN internet governance meetings, raises 10 questions that need to be answered at NETmundial.
East African Community Moves To Harmonise IP Rights Regulation 11/04/2014 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments KAMPALA – As the East African Community nears full revival, a bloc market covering five countries with a population of about 145 million people has emerged. But the member countries face another challenge: they have different levels of intellectual property rights protection.
UN Indigenous Rights Expert Says ‘Redskins’ Name A “Hurtful Reminder” Of Past Mistreatment 11/04/2014 by Caitlin McGivern for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments ames Anaya, United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, today called on the owners of the Washington Redskins Football team to recognise that the name ‘Redskins’ constitutes a “hurtful reminder” of the “long history of mistreatment of Native American people in the United States.”
EU Trademark Case Leads To Rules On Use Of Nice Classification 10/04/2014 by Angela Garcia Medina for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The perhaps underestimated list of goods or services that applicants file with their trademark applications play an essential role in defining the protection the trademark will have. Registrars use this list to determine if an application should be refused and if it limits a trademark’s exclusive rights. The goods or services listed in an application can also motivate oppositions from competitors with prior rights or cause the future cancellation of the trademark. A recent trademark case in the European Union calls into attention the need for authorities to establish clear, predictable rules to identify goods and services in trademark systems. Further, the case highlights why it is important for applicants to carefully consider which goods or services they wish to protect and clearly identify them in an application.
Geneva Internet Platform Launches: Neutral Ground For Net Governance 09/04/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments With yesterday’s launch of the new Geneva Internet Platform, global internet governance stakeholders have a new venue for neutral engagement.
Warning! You Are Being Watched. 09/04/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The explosive growth of technology in recent years has given governments, intelligence agencies and big businesses, like Google and Facebook, monitoring tools to create a new empire of Big Brother. People have never been more scrutinised at any other time in human history than they are today. This naturally begs the question: does the right to privacy still exist?
Book Analyses Chinese IP And Technology Laws 09/04/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The recently published book “Chinese Intellectual Property and Technology Laws” provides the “first” overview of Chinese IP and technology law, supported by extensive legal, historical and socioeconomic background to developments in these areas.