Sign Of The (Digital) Times: France’s Struggle With A New Copyright Law 18/03/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Editor’s Note: The National Assembly adopted the legislation on 21 March by a vote of 286 in favour and 193 against. It will now go to the Senate in May, according to reports. In the global search to find a balance between copyright protection and consumer rights in […]
EU Addresses Concerns Over GI Register As Rival Plan Gains Support 17/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New and Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The European Union on Friday continued its fight at the World Trade Organization for a binding register of traded products that are protected because their names and character derive from places, often in Europe. But it may be headed for an eventual compromise as support appears to […]
WTO Negotiators Reopen Talks On GI Extension With No New Movement 16/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Key delegations on opposite sides of a proposal at the World Trade Organization to higher protection for geographical indication (GIs) beyond wines and spirits again listened to each other’s arguments today, but neither camp moved closer to compromise, according to participants. The informal consultations were chaired by WTO Deputy Director General Rufus Yerxa. A significant […]
WTO Discussions On Biodiversity Intensify As Differences Remain 16/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property issues related to biodiversity were the topic of two different sessions at the World Trade Organization on 15 March with minimal progress, according to participants. But the second session, consultations with a senior WTO official, seemed to sharpen the focus of the debate, they said. During the morning, the formal Council of the […]
New Submissions Feed CBD Debate At TRIPS Council Meeting 15/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the two-day meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) council responsible for intellectual property rights, discussions first focused on two new submissions on issues related to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). The relationship between the CBD and the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) was on the agenda of […]
March Edition of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Available 09/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Who is the new Brazilian IP negotiator in Geneva? Did EFF’s Cory Doctorow really leave his day job to write a tell-all about the digital rights management “wars”? What are the hottest new research papers on IP policy? Find out in the News Briefs section of the March edition of Intellectual Property Watch’s Monthly Reporter, […]
Full Agenda For WTO TRIPS Council Next Week 08/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization committee addressing intellectual property will face a full range of issues when it convenes for the first of three scheduled meetings this year. The 14-15 March meeting of the Council on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will tackle issues that have been tied to the larger […]
Public Health And Patents Heat Up WIPO Debate On Harmonisation 08/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Discussions at an open forum last week on a possible harmonisation of international patent laws showed that countries do not only disagree on whether it would be useful or not but also have different expectations on what such a harmonisation would encompass. Judging from the at times sharp debate, the most contentious issue seems to […]
WIPO SPLT Forum Acknowledges Complexities Of Possible Harmonisation 08/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An open forum at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) explored the complexities of a possible worldwide harmonisation of patent rules in a mostly amicable environment. Work on harmonising the global patent system under a draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT) started at WIPO in 2001 and the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents […]
Groups Decry Impact Of IP And Health Terms In US Trade Agreements 03/03/2006 by Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Public health activists are condemning recent terms agreed to by Colombia, Peru and Central American countries in bilateral trade negotiations with the United States, that bind those countries to offer patent protections that exceed standards in multilateral agreements. The groups now are hoping for a […]