UNCTAD Conference Opens With High-Level Calls For Action On Trade And Development 18/07/2016 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NAIROBI, Kenya (IP-Watch) – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 14th Session opened here yesterday, with leaders calling for deeper and broader cooperation between trade and development.
TTIP Negotiators Need Many More Nights To Negotiate – And Are Planning Just That 15/07/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Top negotiators of the European Union and United States today underlined after the 14th round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) that they are still on track for finalising the deal during the outgoing Obama administration. At the same time, they acknowledged that after three years of negotiations some chapters have never been discussed.
For UNCTAD Ministerial, NGOs Call For Development Focus, Not Trade Rules Enforcement 14/07/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Days before a major meeting of the governing body of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), over 100 non-governmental organisations worldwide are calling for the organisation to maintain its development role and not help implement international and regional trade rules.
Privacy Shield May Not Be “Schrems-Proof”, But Passage Approved 11/07/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission is expected to pass a controversial declaration on the “adequacy of US data protection standards” on 12 July, making transfers of personal data from the European Union to the United States legal once more. [Update: Privacy Shield was announced today by the US and EU.]
CETA: Ripe For Provisional Implementation In January 2018? 10/07/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Commission on 8 July published the finalized Comprehensive Economic Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA) and formally proposed to Council to sign the agreement, pushing for provisional implementation amidst ongoing discussions over competency issues with EU member states. After finalising CETA in August 2014, the controversial investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system was renegotiated last year.
Brexit Threatens Legal Uncertainty, Higher Costs For Trademarks, Lawyers Say 08/07/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Two weeks after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, the potential impact of “Brexit” on patents and trademarks is becoming marginally clearer, intellectual property lawyers said in interviews and a 7 July webinar. Among other things, Brexit would delay the EU unitary patent and unified patent court (UPC) and result in great uncertainty –and higher costs — for trademark owners, they said.
UK High Court Upholds Blocking Of Infringing Websites In Trademark Cases 06/07/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Internet service providers can be ordered to block websites that offer counterfeit goods for sale despite the lack of an express law to that effect in trademark cases, the UK Court of Appeal for England and Wales said in a 6 July decision.
US Industry Airs Hopes, Frustrations On IP Rights In India 05/07/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What do global innovators make of India’s new National Intellectual Property Rights Policy? A recent discussion on “India’s National IPR Strategy: A View from Global Innovators” in Washington DC attempted to assess the opportunities and challenges ahead from the perspective of American companies.
US Sees Weak African IP Protection, But Not Enough To Lose Unilateral Trade Benefits 30/06/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today (29 June) released its annual report on the eligibility of African nations for unilateral trade benefits offered by the US. While some countries were praised for progress on intellectual property protection, others were found to be weak in this area, but none were removed from eligibility for that reason. Overall, reporting on IP rights varied widely in the report.
Clinton Lays Out Presidential Tech & Innovation Plans 29/06/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has issued highlights of her plan to boost the nation’s competitiveness in and attention to technology, internet and innovation if elected. The platform hits many of the latest issues and buzzwords in those fields, continuing existing programs but also pushing further in some areas. Among the plans: appoint a chief innovation advisor, reduce frivolous patent litigation, support allowing the US Patent and Trademark Office to keep its fees, boost access to orphan copyrighted works and open licensing, support multi-stakeholder internet governance, and keep the internet open worldwide. Clinton also gave a nod to personal privacy online and took a jab at the SOPA bill that was defeated for over-reaching on behalf of IP rightsholders.