Infojustice.org: Google Books And Feist-y Fair Use 20/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments From infojustice.org: Judge Pierre Leval’s opinion [on 16 October] in the Google Books case offers another fascinating glimpse into the richness of his thinking about the concept of fair use. Although the outcome in Google Books (Google wins, duh) was obvious to anyone whose paycheck didn’t depend on their believing otherwise, the discussion that gets us there sheds light on a host of hot fair use topics in ways that courts and copyright wonks will be citing and unpacking for years to come.
Standards Needed For IP Value To Be Recognised By Banks, IP Offices Say 20/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Valuation of intellectual property is of growing importance to small and medium-sized enterprises in getting loans from financial institutions, IP office representatives said at a side event to the World Intellectual Property Organisation General Assembly this month.
EPO Still In Turmoil As Supervisory Body Backs Dismissal Of High-Level Staff 20/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Organisation has been in turmoil for years facing serious staff dissent and complaints aimed at EPO President Benoît Battistelli of France. The EPO’s effort appears to have intensified in recent months, and on Friday the EPO Administrative Council, the agency’s supervisory body, announced an action to back Battistelli and endorsed a request for the dismissal of a high-level staff member. The action sent critics to new levels of criticism.
At WIPO, Panel Urges Women To Get Out Of Their Comfort Zones 20/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Panellists at a recent discussion on women and intellectual property proposed steps institutions and women themselves could take to increase the number of female entrepreneurs, in order for the IP system to benefit men and women equally.
“The Brain Is The Next Frontier,” Bioethics Futurist Says, Raising New Societal Challenges 19/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments At the recent TEDx CERN event, Intellectual Property Watch caught up with bioethicist and legal philosopher Matthew Liao, to reflect on challenging moral questions raised by new advances in computing and neuroscience allowing for the manipulation of human thoughts and memories. Liao reflected on whether we should use drugs and technology to erase traumatic memories, and if individuals have a moral obligation to themselves to remember certain events.
TEDx CERN: Academics, Artists And Scientists “Break The Rules” For Future 19/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Speakers from the fields of academia, arts and science brought their visions of a new world and the role the next generation must play in shaping it to the audience of TEDx CERN on 9 October. The visionary speakers break the boundaries of academic research to propose innovative solutions for the future that take into account today’s limitations.
Governments’ Role In Management Of Internet In Question At ICANN Meeting 19/10/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Amidst rising voices that time is of essence to finalise the oversight transition for core internet functions from the United States government to the community of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), governments are divided over what their role should be.
WTO IP Committee Suspended Over LDC Extension 17/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Informal negotiations at the World Trade Organization between least developed countries (LDCs) and some developed countries over a public health extension for LDCs could not be finalised in time to be taken to the intellectual property committee meeting today and led to a suspension of the meeting for an indeterminate time.
WTO TRIPS Council Addresses Non-Violation, Paragraph 6 Drug Exports 15/10/2015 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Trade Organization intellectual property committee today addressed exports of cheaper medicines, and disputes that could arise even when there is no WTO violation. Tomorrow it will decide the hot-button issue of how long least-developed countries have before they must comply with international IP trade rules – on which LDCs said today they are ready to talk about a deal.
WIPO Assembly Extends Talks On Traditional Knowledge, Design; Sets Policy For New Offices 15/10/2015 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Near dawn today, World Intellectual Property Organization members agreed to continue working in committee toward an international agreement or agreements on the protection of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore, rescuing the committee for another two years. Members also agreed to hold a final treaty negotiation on a design law treaty in early 2017, but left differences on inclusion of disclosure of origin to later.