WIPO Director Sees Tougher Times For Multilateral IP Treaties 05/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiations for new global policies on intellectual property has become more challenging due to a greater competition in innovation, knowledge asymmetries, and the push for bilateral and regional treaties, the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization said today.
WIPO General Assemblies To Tackle Budget, Fate Of Traditional Knowledge Committee 04/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This week, the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assemblies will set the priorities and direction for the organisation for the year to come. The Assemblies also have before it approval of WIPO’s budget for the next biennium 2016/2017.
Medicrime Convention Against Counterfeit Drugs To Enter Into Force In 2016 01/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The ratification of an international convention to fight counterfeit of medical products by Guinea has unlocked the entry into force of the instrument, now set to happen on 1 January 2016.
IP Good For Trade, If Enforcement Strong, IP Proponents Say At WTO 01/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At a panel at the World Trade Organization organised by the United States Chamber of Commerce, proponents of strong intellectual property protection explained why this protection is key in international trade, even if some might consider the minimum standard set by the WTO IP rules might need an update.
IP-Watch/Yale FOIA Case Decided: USTR Can Keep TPP Texts Secret, But Maybe Not Communications With Industry Advisors 30/09/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments As government negotiators dig into perhaps the final round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations this week in Atlanta, they may take comfort in knowing that nothing they are doing has to be shared with the public they represent until years after it is over. That’s because a federal district court in Manhattan decided this week, in a closely watched Freedom of Information Act case brought by Intellectual Property Watch, that draft texts of the trade deal can be kept secret. The court did, however, cast doubt on the government’s reasons for also keeping its communications with industry lobbyists from the public eye.
Trade Works, Says WTO Head, But Only If Right Policies, Transparent Trade System In Place 30/09/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual World Trade Organization Public Forum opened today with a plenary session on making trade work more inclusively. The Doha Round, agriculture, and environmental technologies were part of the conversation.
US Court Adds Confusion To #Trademarks 29/09/2015 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Once, hashtags (like #cute_cat) merely identified topics on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. No longer. A rapidly growing number of companies are using hashtags (like #HowDoYouKFC) as trademarks. There is one problem, however. A court in the US has recently ruled that hashtags can never receive trademark protection.
IANA Transition: Trapped Between Demands For Detail, Simplicity 29/09/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Later this week (30 September) the original deadline for the so-called IANA transition runs out. But despite stern warnings from US Assistant Commerce Secretary Lawrence Strickling and former Clinton aide Ira Magaziner that further delays could put the planned change of oversight over the management core internet infrastructure assets at risk, tensions could not be laid to rest over the weekend. After a two-day weekend “dialogue” in Los Angeles between the ICANN Board and the group in charge of developing new accountability mechanisms, it became clear that final text cannot be expected before early next year.
WTO Public Forum: Trade Works – Taking Stock After 20 Years 28/09/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This week, the World Trade Organization is holding its yearly public forum with a focus on the contribution of the organisation to global trade since its inception 20 years ago. Some 90 sessions are planned, on issues such as intellectual property, global value chains, agriculture, trade for development, and the WTO dispute settlement system.
India: Poor Man’s Intellectual Property Is Hijacked 28/09/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments It is a healthy trend that the awareness on GI is on the rise in India. However, the misuse of GI legislation also is rampant. Recent past has witnessed many instances of inappropriate GI Registrations, writes Praveen Raj.