Financial Transaction Tax: A Resource For WHO Global Strategy And Plan of Action 07/04/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A recent European Parliament resolution on a European Financial Transaction Tax could represent an important resource for a WHO-led initiative to find sustainable financing for research into diseases afflicting poor populations.
WIPO: Trademark Filings Up Again; Now, Think Design! 05/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment International trademark applications are on the rise, reflecting economic recovery, as are industrial design applications, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization. However, the WIPO system for registering industrial design applications, though showing strong growth, still involves a limited number of countries, according to WIPO’s director general.
Google Reluctantly Joins Patent Craze 04/04/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet giant Google today announced it is taking an “if-you-can’t-beat-’em, join ’em” attitude on patents and innovation by moving defensively to boost its patent portfolio.
WIPO Slowly Advances Industrial Design Treaty, Eyes ISP Liability For Trademarks 04/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Governments meeting last week to discuss a possible new treaty on industrial design harmonisation snagged slightly at the end over how to chart a course to a treaty negotiation, but otherwise reported a smooth week of talks. Officials also agreed to plan a meeting on internet service provider liability.
FSFE Offers Cutting-Edge Analogue Printer 01/04/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In yet another sign that this day is full of surprises, the Free Software Foundation Europe has announced that it is offering a special cutting-edge “analogue printer” device, which can print any colour, 3D, underwater, and all file formats.
A Special Day: WIPO’s Vision Gets A Little Fuzzy 01/04/2011 by Martin Frobisher for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a surprise and fully uncorroborated development, it appears that World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry has been named a new contributor to an illustrious IP blog. The announcement came at the same time as news that WIPO will likely embark on wishing for an annual crackdown list of global IP blogs deemed to be inadequately living up to the highest levels of intellectual property protection and decorum.
WIPO Says Cybersquatting Filings Sharply Up, Watches ICANN’s Domain Name Expansion 31/03/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Filing complaints about cybersquatting, which the World Intellectual Property Organization defines as the “abusive registration of trademarks as domain names,” is on an upward trend, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said today. Meanwhile, WIPO also launched a review of its dispute panellists.
WHO Experts To Analyse R&D Financing, Focus On Poor Country Diseases 31/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Health Organization expert working group tasked with studying proposals on financing and coordinating research and development for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries will meet next week. The working group’s path is not easy as it follows a predecessor group that sustained allegations of conflict of interest and lack of transparency.
WIPO Discusses Industrial Design Treaty, Trademark Protection On Internet 30/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members congregated this week to advance work on a potential treaty on industrial designs, and to look into trademark protection against infringement on the internet, including through social media. But they ended early after nominal progress in these promising new areas for the United Nations agency.
FAO Seed Treaty Carries Hope, Addressing Country Contributions, Farmers Concerns 30/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Funding mechanisms and farmers’ rights were among the issues that captured the attention of member countries of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture during the biannual meeting of its Governing Body.