Golan Case May Put US In Violation Of International Copyright Treaties 08/05/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States federal court recently gave some bad news to the US government and many foreign copyright owners – including the estates of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, and Igor Stravinsky. The court struck down a US statute which had restored copyright protection to the works of these foreign authors. By limiting copyright restoration, the ruling might prevent the US from fulfilling its obligations under the Berne Convention and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
EPO Looks To Future Technologies, 2010 Leadership Change 08/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments PRAGUE – The current revolution in science and information was the topic of this year’s European Patent Forum, which brought together examiners, lawyers, policymakers and other patent professionals to discuss how the pace of the patent system can mesh with today’s whirlwind of technological change. Meanwhile, European Patent Office (EPO) President Alison Brimelow informed her staff that she will “not be seeking extension” when her current three-year contract is up at the end of June 2010.
Panel: Public Domain Fosters Innovation, More Limitations & Exceptions Needed 08/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The public domain is key to the promotion of innovation and should be fostered, but international intellectual property policies may hinder that process, said speakers at a side event to the last week’s meeting of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property. Limitations and exceptions to copyright should be expanded and made mandatory, policymaking should be based on evidence and the public domain should be clearly defined and listed internationally, they said.
Brazil Tightens Rules On Drug Companies’ Influence On Physicians 07/05/2009 by Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment RIO DE JANEIRO – The interaction between pharmaceutical companies and physicians has been discussed intensely in the last three years in Brazil, and recently has come under heightened scrutiny.
Technology Essential For Green Jobs & Planet 07/05/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments The recent commem-oration of Earth Day and World IP Day raised the importance of IP rights to innovation and jobs, says David Hirschmann of the US Chamber of Commerce. How about calling it “Green Innovation Week”?
EU Parliament Signals Against ‘Three-Strikes’ Filtering 06/05/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The EU Parliament on Wednesday underlined its position that any limitations of the fundamental right of access to information is subject to a prior check by a judge. By voting for amendment No. 138/46 in the report of French Socialist Catherine Trautmann, the Parliament rejected a last-minute compromise Trautman had worked out with the Council […]
WIPO Buzzing With Possible Names For Top Cabinet Posts 05/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Behind the day-to-day policy and technical work at the World Intellectual Property Organization, member governments’ lobbying of new Director General Francis Gurry to obtain top positions for national officials at WIPO has been intensive in recent weeks and is near conclusion, according to sources. Among the pack of possible names is a recent former director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, according to sources.
US First-to-File Price Tag: $10M 05/05/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment If the United States enacts reform of its patent law, S 515, this year as proposed, it would cut discretionary spending by US$173 million over the period 2010-2014, according to a 30 April US Congressional Budget Office cost estimate. This in part arises from an expectation of increased volume of patent applications, on which fees […]
WIPO Pushes Members On Patent Treaty Compliance; US Wants PCT II 04/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The secretariat of the World Intellectual Property Organization is working this week to gain support for a proposal to get countries to better implement the UN organisation’s core revenue-generating instrument, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). But some developing countries are wary of the proposed changes, even as the United States is calling for a new PCT.
WIPO Members Move Ahead On Development Agenda Implementation 04/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization in difficult negotiations last week approved a new plan for implementation of recommendations for deepening WIPO’s development focus, according to participants.