WIPO Sees Decrease In Cybersquatting Complaints, Warns Of Domain Name Expansion 23/03/2010 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The expansion of internet domain names as proposed is worrying to trademark owners as a significant number cybersquatting cases continue to be filed in the World Intellectual Property Organization dispute resolution system, WIPO said this week. Meanwhile internet intermediaries should play a bigger role in the fight against trademark infringement, WIPO officials said.
Biodiversity Negotiators Seek To Finalise Draft Access, Benefit-Sharing Regime 22/03/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Delegates to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity today begin the last formal meeting before a late-2010 deadline to negotiate an agreement ensuring fair and equitable access to and benefits from the world’s scarce biological resources.
EU To Request Publication Of ACTA Documents To Stop “Rumours”; Civil Society Meeting Planned 22/03/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Europe will request the publication of the current drafts for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) at the next ACTA negotiating meeting in New Zealand in April, EU trade official Luc Devigne said today. Speaking at the third EU stakeholder meeting on the hotly debated ACTA today in Brussels, Devigne also said there is also a meeting with civil society planned to take place alongside the New Zealand round.
China Tells WTO: Obligations Fulfilled On IP Dispute Case 22/03/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment China on Friday briefed the World Trade Organization on improvements in its intellectual property rights enforcement needed to bring it into compliance with a dispute settlement decision made last year.
Forest Group Decision Has Led To Great Rise In Patent Marking Lawsuits 22/03/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The recent Forest Group case decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has made it more financially viable for plaintiffs to sue for under the false marking patent statute (35 U.S.C. § 292). However, legislation currently before Congress, as well as another patent marking case to be decided by the CAFC in the near future, Pequignot v. Solo Cup, may level the playing field more towards defendants in such lawsuits.
Influential EU Industry Group Urges Stronger IP Focus In Trade Relations 18/03/2010 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Greater emphasis should be placed on intellectual property issues in the European Union’s trade relations with developing countries, a leading employers group has recommended.
The US-Cotton Case — The Truth Behind Brazil’s Cross-Retaliation Against US Intellectual Property 18/03/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 9 Comments In a recent speech at the Export-Import Bank’s annual conference, US President Obama said the US Trade Representative will use its “full arsenal” to combat “practices that blatantly harm” US businesses, and that includes “enforcing existing [US] agreements.” The question is: will the US comply with its multilateral obligations under the WTO agreement in the US-Brazil cotton case, says Brazilian academic Pedro Paranaguá.
2009 Tough For International Trademark Filings; 2010 Looking Up 18/03/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment International trademark filings plummeted in 2009 but trends should be reversed as the global economy regains strength with signs already showing in 2010, World Intellectual Property Organization’s Director General Francis Gurry said today.
New US Broadband Internet Plan Scrutinised; Cybersecurity Bill Includes IP 17/03/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New Leave a Comment The United States Federal Communications Commission’s newly released plan to expand broadband internet access within the country was well-received from several sides of the digital rights debate, with some questions. Separately, a new cybersecurity bill introduced in the US Congress today includes measures to protect intellectual property rights.
European Broadcasters Call For Easier Copyright Clearance For Online Content 17/03/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Union copyright law needs to be amended so that the clearance of copyrights is simplified for online content, the European Broadcasting Union said today. The group presented the results of an analysis it conducted today at the European Parliament in Brussels.