Un pas de plus vers un traité OMPI en faveur des déficients visuels 11/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Plus de 95 pour cent des œuvres publiées ne sont pas adaptées aux personnes déficientes visuelles, ont indiqué leurs représentants la semaine dernière, à l’Organisation Mondiale de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OMPI). Ils soutiennent qu’un accord prévoyant des exceptions au droit d’auteur pourrait remédier à cette pénurie de livres, en levant les restrictions portées par le droit d’auteur à la traduction d’œuvres protégées dans des formats adaptés, et en partageant ces traductions au-delà des frontières nationales.
联合援助国际药品采购机制（UNITAID）将实施艾滋病专利药品库 11/01/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment 联合援助国际药品采购机制（UNITAID，以下简称「联合援助」）执行理事会在十二月通过一项专利药品库的实施计划，藉以刺激开发中国家对重要药品之研究，并增加取得管道。根据联合援助表示，这个专利药品库将在2010年中开始运作；该组织并已选定十九种产品可望纳入药品库，同时还继续跟药厂协商，期能达成协议，让仿制药厂得以生产比较廉价的版本。
IP Industry Greets New Year With Staff Changes 05/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Two separate trade associations this week announced leadership changes to kick off the New Year. The International Trademark Association (INTA) named its 2010 president on 1 January. Heather Steinmeyer, lead counsel for intellectual property at WellPoint Inc, a US Fortune 50 insurance and healthcare company, already served numerous functions at INTA. She was treasurer and […]
WHO Expert Report On R&D Financing Now Online 24/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An expert working group under the auspices of the World Health Organization tasked with finding ways to finance research and development for diseases that disproportionately affect the poor has released its much-anticipated report. The report is available here [pdf]. After analysing over 90 different proposals, the working group has drawn up a short list of […]
New USTR Report On China WTO Compliance 24/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Office of the United States Trade Representative released 23 December a report to the US Congress concerning China’s compliance with its obligations under the World Trade Organization. It is available here. The report examines China’s commitments over a list of broad categories: trading rights, distribution services, import regulation, export regulation, internal policies affecting trade, […]
Microsoft Loses Key Patent Judgment 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Computer technology giant Microsoft has lost an appeal on a patent case that now could see the company withdrawing the current versions of two of its widely-used software programmes from the market. The dispute concerns a computer language for document programmes, called XML, that allows for the editing of certain structural information in a document. […]
Argentina Extends Music Copyright Term; Opposition Mounts 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The term of protection on sound recording for performers and producers has been extended in Argentina from 50 to 70 years, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The extension of the protection was supported by the Argentine Performers Association and the Argentine Music Industry Chamber (CAPIF). Javier Delupí, director of CAPIF, […]
US Weighs Copyright As Barrier To Grey Market Imports 23/12/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments It’s an unconventional use of copyright law. But if Omega SA wins its case before the US Supreme Court, the famous Swiss watch company will have established a powerful new weapon against grey market goods in that country.
France Reins In Google Digitisation Project 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US internet search engine company Google was sentenced by a French tribunal to pay a €300,000 euro fine to French publishing company La Martinière on 18 December but plans to appeal, according to sources. According to the judgment posted on Legalis, a web-based resource for lawyers, available here (in French), Google lost the lawsuit brought […]
Copyright Law Reform in Brazil — Anteprojeto or Anti-project? 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 13 Comments A balancing of the rights of authors and consumers, the re-introduction of a private copying exception, a remixing permission and a new regulatory agency for copyright issues are among the core points the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has planned for the new copyright law. But at the Third Conference on Copyright and the Public Interest in São Paulo a month ago, the Ministry emphasised that the bits and pieces shown to the audience were not from an actual law draft (“anteprojeto”) but only a preliminary proposal for formulating such a draft. The bill still has not been published to date. The delay in releasing the bill for public consultation now threatens the work of more than two years on the reform.