Discussions Continue In Informal WTO Special Session On GI Register 02/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization body mandated to discuss a registry for geographical indications met Monday, with the only resulting agreement being to meet again later this week for further, more technical, discussions. Several ambassadors were present at the meeting, according to sources, indicating that in the lead-up to a possible ministerial this […]
IP And Genetically Modified Organisms: A Fateful Combination, Activists Say 02/12/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez With the expanding scope of patents on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the implementation of such crops in most countries, farmers’ rights and biodiversity are at risk, and food security has become dependent on a few transnational biotechnological companies, according to speakers at a recent workshop in Geneva. The workshop was hosted […]
Peer To Patent System May Become Model For Patent Offices 01/12/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch A pilot patent peer review system in the United States could serve as a model for patent offices around the globe. New York Law School, in cooperation with the US Patent and Trademark Office, is in its second year of Peer To Patent, an innovative initiative that opens the patent examination process to public participation. The online system allows the public to supply prior art to assess the claims of pending patent applications. The goal is to provide patent examiners with as much information as possible, and ultimately increase the quality of approved patents.
WTO IP Discussion In Question With Possible Ministerial On Horizon 28/11/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Delegates are buckling down on key negotiating issues in the final days they have to decide whether or not there can be a high-level meeting of government ministers in December, and intellectual property-related issues appear still to be at an impasse with another IP meeting scheduled for Monday. While negotiations on agriculture […]
IP Roadmap Aims At Facilitating Technology Transfer In The Arab World 28/11/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch An intellectual property “roadmap” for the Arab world has been proposed for facilitating technology transfer as well as the adaptation of acquired technologies to local needs and contributing to the evolution of new technologies and their transfer to the marketplace. This IP roadmap was announced at the two-day […]
Librarians Take The Copyright Battleground In Developing Countries 26/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By William New CHISINAU, MOLDOVA – Creativity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when travelling through the kilometres of mostly grey, Soviet-era cement-block buildings outlying the capital of Moldova, often referred to as Europe’s poorest state. But at its centre, this small, transition economy is going through an exercise being repeated […]
Questions Raised About Google Library Project’s Impact On Knowledge Access 26/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New What has been heralded as a breakthrough in the digitisation of human knowledge is also raising questions about how most humans will access that knowledge, according to an expert in copyright and the public interest. Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, recently raised concerns about Google’s new […]
Brand Owners Urge Caution On New Top-Level Internet Domain Names 26/11/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Trademark owners are not likely to benefit from the approval by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) of a predicted 500 new generic top-level domain names (gTLDs), industry speakers said at a 25 November Web seminar on protecting and promoting brands online. Potential risks include the need for defensive domain-name registrations in many TLDs and the lack of an effective procedure for resolving disputes, they said.
Should The EU Rethink Copyright Law For The Digital Music Age? 25/11/2008 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Europe’s copyright rules are ill-suited to an age when millions of music files can be accessed at the click of a mouse, a Brussels conference has been told. About eight million tracks by musicians from a wide variety of genres can now be listened to via […]
Push For TRIPS Changes Reaches Highest Level At WTO As Meetings Intensify 21/11/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Proponents of amending the World Trade Organization intellectual property agreement to increase protection for biodiversity and for geographically-specific products are insisting Director General Pascal Lamy himself lead the process for resolving the issues. Meetings on intellectual property issues have been held periodically throughout the week, including Friday, and will continue next week, […]