WIPO Members Conclude Year Positively With Copyright Committee, Despite No Changes To Text 14/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization’s last committee meeting of the year finished on an amiable note last week. The committee on copyright did not advance on text drafting but, according to the chair and a number of delegations, the weeklong meeting was an opportunity for extensive discussions on substance, the best in a long time.
WTO: Talks On GI Register Start, Tied To Other Negotiations In July 2015 Deadline 12/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An informal meeting of World Trade Organization members on a long-discussed register on geographical indications of wines and spirits today showed that member states were committed but not yet inclined to delve into the issues until they have a clearer picture of other sensitive topics of the Doha Round.
Copyright Exceptions For Libraries: WIPO Should Step Up Before Someone Else Does, Researcher Says 12/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments The author of a World Intellectual Property Organization-commissioned study said this week that WIPO should take the lead on the issue of limitations and exceptions to copyright for libraries, before the debate and the solution are left to other actors.
Report Explains Rapid Rise In Chinese Patents; Compares Innovation Quotient 11/12/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 10 Comments China has been filing patents at far greater rates than any other nation on earth in recent years. This week, a Thomson Reuters report broke down that growth and compared it with other leading nations on the basis of innovation.
EPO Supervisory Body To Face Fears Over Patent Quality, Judicial Independence 10/12/2014 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments As staff strikes continue and the European Patent Office’s Administrative Council prepares for what could be a contentious 11 December meeting, opinions are split over the effect of the turmoil on the office’s role in Europe’s unitary patent.
Will India, US Bridge Divide Over Intellectual Property Rights? 10/12/2014 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments There is an uptick in India-United States relations. US President Barack Obama will be in India in January as the chief guest at the country’s Republic Day Parade. Obama, who hosted India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington in September, will become the first US president to attend such a celebration, a display of India’s military might and ethnic diversity, as well as the first to visit India twice while in office.
Limitations And Exceptions For Libraries, Archives And Education At WIPO: What To Know About The Africa Group Proposal 10/12/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 29th Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights at the World Intellectual Property Organization is currently underway. On the agenda, inter alia, will be discussions on Limitations and Exceptions to Libraries, Archives and Educational, Teaching and Research Institutions. Against the backdrop of the success with the Marrakesh Treaty, the trajectory looks set for these further exceptions and limitations to succeed.
NGOs Offer Views For WIPO Members Creating IP Rights Treaty For Broadcasters 10/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization members have been working in relative secrecy this week to decide how far to apply intellectual property rights protections on broadcasts. To guide them, nongovernmental organisations offered a range of views, from sweeping protections to scaling back the proposed treaty.
UN Office Of Drugs And Crime Enters Debate Over Fake Medicines And IP 09/12/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been working for several years to fight “fraudulent” medicines in the global supply chain. But an alleged new draft model legislation it is developing includes intellectual property rights, an issue which has led to intensive debates in other international fora. This week, a closed-door UNODC informal expert group drafting the model legislation is meeting in Vienna.
At WIPO This Week: Broadcasting Treaty, Copyright Exceptions And Limitations 08/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After two difficult meetings, the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee is meeting this week with the hope of getting closer to a treaty protecting broadcasting organisations, although questions remain on scope and level of protection. The committee is also expected to find ways to work on exceptions and limitations to copyrights for libraries, archives, education and research, as developed countries oppose normative work, and developing countries want international instruments.