Protection Of Folklore In Draft International Instrument Under Discussion At WIPO 02/04/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization delegates this week are trying to refine draft articles relating to the protection of traditional cultural expressions (folklore) that could form the basis for an international instrument. Delegates also are considering the connection of the issue to traditional knowledge.
TTIP: EU Commissioner Points Finger At US Secrecy, Investor-State Provisions 02/04/2014 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments A number of problems with investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) were outlined by legal experts during a 1 April hearing in Brussels of the International Trade Committee (INTA) of the European Parliament in its last session before the European elections. And the European trade commissioner said he would agree to open the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks and to drop ISDS from the TTIP if the United States would agree.
US Trade Barriers Report Highlights IPRs Among Top Concerns 01/04/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Trade Representative’s annual report on barriers to US exports contains many references to intellectual property rights issues. These include latest topics of debate such as the treatment of pharmaceutical patents in India, online piracy in Russia, and European-guided geographical indications laws in Latin America. It also highlights recent commitments by China on protection of pharmaceutical patents and trade secrets.
Revised Text On TK Protection On Its Way To WIPO Assembly 30/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Just like the draft text on the protection of genetic resources last month, a set of draft articles on the protection of traditional knowledge have cleared a hurdle and will be forwarded to the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly next autumn.
Alleged Leaked EU Analysis Sheds Light On TTIP Negotiations On IP 28/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments An alleged leaked analysis by the European Union provides insight into the intellectual property section of the draft Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States. And separately, the US International Trade Commission released a report on trade barriers that US small businesses perceive in exporting to Europe.
US Defends Investor-State Provisions; EU Promotes TTIP Consultation 27/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Investor-state provisions in trade and investment agreements, which allow private companies to sue governments for policies taken that undermine the companies’ investment expectations, have come under recent scrutiny for their potential to undermine the public interest. Today, the United States Trade Representative published a blog post defending these provisions, while the European Union opened a public consultation on the provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US.
Australia Accepts Indonesia WTO Dispute On Tobacco Packaging; Calls For Five Disputes To Be Joined 27/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Australia yesterday took the unusual move of agreeing to the first request by Indonesia to establish a World Trade Organization dispute panel against it. The ready acceptance of the panel request was an attempt by Australia to bring the some or all of the five separate cases against its tobacco plain packaging law together for resource reasons and to protect the integrity of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, it said in a statement to the Dispute Settlement Body.
New Draft Text At WIPO On Protection Of Traditional Knowledge 27/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This morning, the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional knowledge issued a revised set of draft articles of an international instrument aimed at protecting traditional knowledge against misappropriation.
WIPO Design Treaty Fate Left To Assembly, Despite Shift On Technical Assistance 21/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks could not agree this week to recommend the convening of a high-level meeting to adopt a treaty on industrial designs.
NTIA Seeks “Solid Proposal” On IANA Transition To Reassure US Stakeholders 21/03/2014 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Lawrence Strickling, the United States assistant secretary of Commerce, today called on the internet community to come up with a “solid proposal” for the transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), from the US to a new multi-stakeholder oversight model. IANA is responsible for changes made to the internet domain name system.