WIPO Broadcasting Treaty Advances Past Disagreements 14/09/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New A proposal to negotiate a treaty to expand the rights of broadcasters and cablecasters cleared a key committee of the World Intellectual Property Organization on 13 September despite outstanding disagreements among committee members. “The draft basic proposal [the document upon which talks will proceed] is full of contradictions,” Surinder Kumar Arora, India’s […]
Egypt Seminar Highlights Copyright Laws’ Impact On Library Access 14/09/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Concern is high over the impact on the global public’s access to knowledge of increasing copyright restrictions on that knowledge. Scientists, academics, publishers and others at a September seminar in Alexandria, Egypt discussed how to ensure proper balance between rights and access. Martin Watson of the Quakers United Nations Office participated in the seminar. Martin […]
Critical Talks Ahead For WIPO Broadcasters’ Treaty 09/09/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New A proposed treaty to strengthen rights for broadcasters faces a critical test next week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Government negotiators are under pressure to finish preliminary work on a draft treaty before the 25 September annual WIPO assembly, as increasing numbers of private sector stakeholders are digging in their heels […]
UN Researcher Envisions Framework For IP, Innovation and Development 06/09/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The impact of intellectual property policy on innovation and development may have been overstated, and a framework is needed for analysing the linkage between these concepts in developing countries, according to a United Nations researcher. While intellectual property policy is a key element of innovation policy, “the focus has been selective, and […]
India: Influential Voices Back “IP-unencumbered” Software; Copyright Debate Heats Up 05/09/2006 by Frederick Noronha for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Frederick Noronha for Intellectual Property Watch NEW DELHI – For a judge, Yatindra Singh of India’s Allahabad high court is surprisingly outspoken. For a member of the bench, he is also amazingly tech-savvy. And as he talks technology, or explains to an Indian businessman how free software, unencumbered by intellectual property, can get support […]
Swedish “Pirates’” Call for IP Reform Spurs Global Interest 04/09/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A Swedish political movement seeking drastic changes to intellectual property law is resonating internationally, according to a spokesman for the group called the Pirate Party. The party, whose platform calls for fair and balanced copyright, the abolition of patents and increased individual privacy protection, last month put its […]
India At The Forefront Of Knowledge Commons Debate 03/09/2006 by Frederick Noronha for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Frederick Noronha for Intellectual Property Watch NEW DELHI – What do seeds have in common with software? Or age-old medicines with copyright lawyers? And, what’s the link between ayurvedic medicines and techies talking free software in Bangalore? Such issues are getting closely enmeshed in a deepening debate on how knowledge is shared or controlled […]
Nine Candidates Proposed For WHO Director General Position 31/08/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The 5 September deadline to fill the top leadership post at the World Health Organization (WHO) is drawing nearer and at least eight candidates have been put forward, of which six are from developing countries and two are women. The formal list of the candidates will be published on 6 […]
Comité de la OMPI adopta nuevo mecanismo que permita una mayor participación de los Miembros en cuestiones de presupuesto 30/08/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por William New. El Comité del Programa y Presupuesto (PBC) de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual concluyó la labor que precede a la reunión de septiembre de la Asamblea General de la OMPI con la aceptación de una propuesta sobre un mecanismo que permita integrar más plenamente a los gobiernos Miembros en los […]
Soupçons à l’OMPI suite à la rectification de l’âge de son directeur général 18/08/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par William New. En faisant corriger sa date de naissance dans les registres administratifs de l’OMPI vingt ans après son premier contrat de travail, Kamil Idris, le Directeur général de l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI), a éveillé certains soupçons: pourquoi vingt ans après? Dans quel intérêt? Un représentant nous a confié que certains […]