Websites Everywhere Dark In Protest Of US Anti-Piracy Legislation 18/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments In an unprecedented action suggesting intellectual property rights have bumped up against an access threshold, thousands of websites have gone “dark” today in protest against two draft anti-piracy and counterfeiting bills in the US Congress that the protestors say would harm freedoms online. The protest includes major technology firms like Google, Mozilla, Wikipedia, Flickr, Reddit, Vimeo and WordPress.
All Eyes On US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA): Fate Of Bill Now Unclear 17/01/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments As of today, no one is really sure what the future holds for the controversial internet anti-piracy bills in the United States.
WHO Board Considers Reform, Director Re-Election, Key IP-Related Issues 16/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN World Health Organization Executive Board opened its annual January meeting today with a substantive agenda of reform, election, and a variety of issues that touch on intellectual property rights, research and development and innovation. And with the organization in reform and funding straits in a rapidly changing world, the director general stressed the agency’s steadfast approach and role in addressing the increasing global inequality between rich and poor.
Change Of Year Brings Changes In IP Community 16/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The turning of a new year offers the opportunity to catch up on a range of recent personnel changes in the international IP policy and legal communities.
Danish EU Presidency Priorities Include Research, Innovation, IP Rights 16/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Among Denmark’s many priorities for its six-month presidency of the European Union which started this month are advancing intellectual property rights, international trade, research and innovation. IP issues include a unitary EU patent, trademark rules modernisation, and orphan works legislation.
USPTO In Obama’s Proposed Consolidation Of Trade-Related US Agencies? 13/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US President Obama today announced a proposal to combine six government agencies working in areas of international trade and economics, aimed at boosting efficiency. This includes the Commerce Department, which currently houses the US Patent and Trademark Office, and it appears it would affect the USPTO.
The Year Ahead 2012: Top IP Legal Issues In The United States 13/01/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments This year could bring major changes in US intellectual property law. Congress and the nation’s courts will be confronting a variety of issues that have broad ramifications for copyrights, trademarks and patents. Here are some of the top developments to watch in 2012.
Next TPP Talks In March But Intersessionals Ongoing; Canada Seeks Views On Joining 12/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The next round of negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is expected to be held in March in Australia, but secretive intersessional meetings on a variety of topics are being held in the meantime. Meanwhile, the Canadian government is considering joining the TPP talks, and is asking for public comments on the idea by 14 February.
ICANN Announces New TLD Program Start 11/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments On the eve of the start of the application period for new generic top level domains (gTLDs) on the internet, the chair of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Steve Crocker, described the program as a “major step in the globalisation of the internet.” For the first time there will be equal access and an equal invitation to users from all over the world to have generic domain names, Crocker said at the National Press Club in Washington, DC today.
ICANN Says Domain Expansion Won’t Hurt UN, WTO 10/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is launching a large expansion of the available top-level domains on the internet on 12 January, has told international organisations the expansion will not hurt them.