German Ministry Advises Developing Countries Not To Sign ACTA 08/05/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) advises developing countries against signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, BMZ official Frank Schmiedchen said during a meeting of the Committee of Petitions of the German Parliament today.
WIPO Standards Committee: IP Geeks Meet Policy Wonks 07/05/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization is by its nature a crossroads of IP technical expertise and global public policy wrangling. But the difference between the two became more pronounced at last week’s meeting of the WIPO Standards Committee, according to participants.
Eben Moglen’s Warning: Beware Of Media Consuming You 02/05/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Eben Moglen, a professor of law and history at Columbia University, made a haunting appeal to participants of the 6th re:publica conference that opened in Berlin this morning: Do not to fail in completing the fight for freedom of thought.
Industry Report On Trade Secret Theft, Congressional Demand For IP Protection, As US-China Meet 01/05/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A report released today asserts that trade secret theft is occurring on a massive scale worldwide, and that most companies are not taking sufficient steps to stop it. The report, which comes on the eve of bilateral economic meetings between the United States and China, offers a set of recommended actions for companies and others. Also today, leading Democratic members of Congress urged the Obama administration to demand improvements in China on intellectual property rights protection.
Lines Of Geographical Indications Debate Begin To Take Shape In The United States 01/05/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States has historically demonstrated little interest for geographical indications but recent developments seem to indicate that actors are taking stands on the issue.
Study On Non-Agricultural GIs Supported By European Commission 01/05/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission Directorate General for Internal Market and Services has awarded a contract to three lobbying groups promoting geographical indications to conduct a study on GIs.
Some Major Trading Partners Are Biggest IP Violators, USTR Says 01/05/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The United States Trade Representative’s office yesterday issued its annual report naming countries that it says are the biggest infringers of US intellectual property rights, among them some of the country’s biggest trading partners. Meanwhile, questions were raised about the close adherence to industry views in the report.
Diplomatic Arm-Wrestling Over Scope Of International Telecommunication Regulations Treaty 30/04/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments As the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) treaty comes under review, some observers are warning that it could change the rules of the game in internet governance. Others are trying to give reassurance that the new ITRs aim at enabling better access to telecommunications everywhere.
ACTA In Parliament: Kill Or Repair? 28/04/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Opponents and proponents of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in the European Parliament have positioned themselves in meetings of several committees preparing opinions.
Global Internet Governance: From Multistakeholder To Autopilot 27/04/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In recent decades, far-reaching international cooperation has led to the development of global multistakeholder governance of the internet. While efforts to further enhance cooperative mechanisms are ongoing, one business leader with an inside track suggests that in a couple of decades, the internet will be governing itself.