Year Ahead: Five Key IP Cases To Watch In The United States In 2010 11/01/2010 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment 2010 could be a big year for intellectual property law in the United States. Five cases now working their way through the courts may bring major changes to the country’s patent and copyright laws, affect hundreds billions of dollars in commerce, and enable a revolutionary new use for the internet.
US Weighs Copyright As Barrier To Grey Market Imports 23/12/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments It’s an unconventional use of copyright law. But if Omega SA wins its case before the US Supreme Court, the famous Swiss watch company will have established a powerful new weapon against grey market goods in that country.
ACTA May Prompt Quick Restart To EU Harmonisation Of Criminal Enforcement Of IP 21/12/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Union appears to be preparing for adoption of the “gold standard” of enforcement, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), as intellectual property law expert Annette Kur from the Max Planck Institute of Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law said it is now called.
Panel Explores Use Of Geographical Indications For Development 21/12/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property related to geographically-specific products can be harnessed for development purposes, argued panellists at a recent event in Geneva. But there are specific challenges related to using such tools in the developing world that must also be addressed.
US Government, Industry De-Emphasise Multilateral System In Enforcement Push 14/12/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Obama administration and industry groups like the Motion Picture Association of America continue to keep their policy focus squarely on protection and enforcement of IP assets, but in testimony to the US Congress last week made no mention of multilateral venues for advancing these interests through new policy instruments.
Counterfeit Medicines At WHO: Off Board’s Agenda, Still On Secretariat’s 11/12/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The issue of counterfeit and substandard medicines is again not on the agenda of the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting in January, though sources say member states are being consulted about the issue by the secretariat.
Industry Intellectual Property Enforcers Named To New Posts 08/12/2009 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) today announced the appointment of a new director of intellectual property and trade, effective 7 December. Meanwhile, in the United States, new coordinator for IP enforcement has been cleared.
Panel: Doha Round Hijacked Trade, But Geopolitics May Force Adjustments 03/12/2009 by Catherine Saez and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The future of the multilateral trading system looks bleak although global trade is in good shape overall, and developing countries are becoming heavier trading partners as a new geopolitical landscape is emerging, according to panellists in a concurrent event to this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial meeting.
Lisbon Treaty Updates EU; New Commissioners Named 02/12/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments On 1 December, the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, bringing a variety of changes across the European Union. Also this week, a new administrative cabinet has been named to represent the European Commission for the next five years, along with some changes in the structure of the EU administrative body.
WTO Ministers Say Complete Doha Round Or Suffer Irrelevance 30/11/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Trade Organization members today called for a completion of the Doha Development Round of trade liberalisation talks in 2010, tying its success to the relevance of the organisation as a whole, at the opening plenary session of this week’s WTO ministerial. Members also urged a stronger review mechanism, and the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization questioned the effectiveness of the multilateral system.