EU Commission Prefers Its Own “Leaks” On FTA 16/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In an obvious effort to push back against claims about a continued lack of transparency in free trade agreement negotiations, the European Commission has published a number of initial documents on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States.
Church Leaders, Gun Groups Sue NSA Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Phone Surveillance 16/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Church leaders, gun ownership advocates and other rights activists came together today to file a lawsuit against the US National Security Agency (NSA), declaring its surveillance programme unconstitutional. The broad coalition of plantiffs is represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
Amazon Company Bid For New Domain .amazon Runs Into Trouble At ICANN 16/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments US online retailer Amazon’s quest for their own top level domain, .amazon, might be doomed after the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today agreed it should be rejected.
Arabic TLD First To Go Live; Who Does What In Multi-Stakeholder Internet Self-Governance 16/07/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment شبكة , the Arabic word for “web” or “network”, the Russian words for “online” and “network” and and the Chinese word for “game” is one of the first new top-level domains ready to go live after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) signed four contracts during its opening session in Durban, South Africa (14-18 July). Despite what might be seen as emblematic of a “greater” ICANN, discussions in Durban this week continue on discrepancies between local law and ICANN contracts. They also continue on the very functioning of the private multi-stakeholder model for self-regulating the name space itself.
WIPO Members Back In Negotiations On Protection Of Traditional Cultural Expressions 15/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization this week are attempting to advance 13-year-old negotiations on the protection of traditional cultural expressions (folklore) to a point where they can enter final high-level treaty negotiations. But some developed countries are putting up resistance to any instrument that would be legally binding, saying that it is “premature,” which could change the outcome of the negotiations.
US Advertising Networks Issue Best Practices For Online Infringement 15/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Several United States-based advertising networks today announced a set of best practices to address online infringement by reducing ad revenue to websites engaged in piracy and counterfeiting.
Generic Terms In Domain Names Proving Difficult To Defend As Trademarks 15/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments In one of the first decisions on an objection filed at the World Intellectual Property Organization against a new top level domain (TLD) application, the complainant, Express, LLC lost to Sea Sunset, a subsidiary of Donuts. Express is a US fashion dealer, and Donuts is one of the so-called “portfolio TLD applicants” that has applied for nearly 300 new TLDs.
WIPO Scrounges For Funds For Indigenous Participants In Key Treaty Negotiations 15/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization members are nearing conclusion of negotiations for an international instrument or instruments on issues critical to indigenous peoples, such as protection of traditional indigenous knowledge, practices and genetic resources. But the WIPO membership as a whole has been miserly when it comes to funding indigenous peoples’ participation in the process, and now many are in danger of being left out of the process.
Micro Entity Status For Universities And AIA Rulemaking On Power Of Attorney 15/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The authors write: “The US Patent and Trademark Office recently introduced a discounted “micro entity” rate on official fees for qualifying universities. Unfortunately, recent changes in the USPTO’s rules on applicants and powers of attorney hinders a qualifying university from benefiting from the micro entity discount. Here, we explain how the rules on micro entity status, applicants, and powers of attorney conflict with each other and offer suggestions for taking advantage of the micro entity discount without running afoul of the rule changes.”
Members Concerned Over WIPO 2014/2015 Programme, Budget; New Treaties On The Way 14/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization’s proposed programme and budget for the next biennium faced some tough questioning from the UN agency’s member states last week. Meanwhile, WIPO is anticipating a series of treaty negotiations in the next two years.