US Court To Decide On Amended Google Book Settlement 18/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 13 November, an amended settlement agreement was filed with the Court by the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers and Google in Authors Guild v. Google, and a motion for preliminary approval of the amended settlement, according to the Authors Guild website. According to the Guild, some noticeable changes have appeared in this […]
UN Report From Internet Governance Forum In Egypt 17/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An official report has been circulated from the first day of the 15-18 November United Nations-led Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Among the developments was the announcement by Tim Berners-Lee of a World Wide Web Foundation – “an international, non-profit organisation that strives to advance the Web as a medium […]
Ministers Discuss Climate Change In Copenhagen This Week 16/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On 16-17 November, the Danish minister for climate and energy is hosting a preview to the high-profile conference in United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen in early December. Over 40 countries are participating in this week’s event, according to a Danish ministry document [pdf], including large economies such as Brazil, China, […]
Trilateral Patent Offices To Launch New Work Sharing Projects 13/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Patent Prosecution Highway, an information sharing network between certain patent offices, has recently had its potential expanded thanks to a new agreement between two of the “trilateral” IP offices, according to the group’s site [pdf]. In addition to the EPO, the trilateral group includes the Japan Patent Office and the United States Patent and […]
China Draft Law Proposes New Patent Standards 13/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new set of patent regulations involving standards has been proposed by China’s Standardization Administration, which represents the country to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and which organises national and international standardisation projects, according to GTW Associates, a US-based international standards consultancy. The original documents, available here [pdf] and here, have not been officially […]
Hands-On Or Hands-Off? ITU Debates Which Way for ICT Regulators 12/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations International Telecommunication Union concluded its ninth Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) with a call by industry leaders to governments to approach regulation with a “light touch” and “allow markets to evolve naturally,” according to an ITU press release. The symposium, held on 10–12 November in Beirut, brought together 648 delegates from 89 […]
US Universities Adopt Principles For Medicines Access, Tech Transfer 11/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Several leading universities in the United States as well as the National Institutes of Health have adopted a set of principles regarding intellectual property and research intended to aid dissemination of medical technology. The Statement of Principles and Strategies for the Equitable Dissemination of Medical Technologies [pdf] pledges a commitment to effective technology transfer in […]
Generics Producers: Criminal Sanctions Can Stop Counterfeit Drugs 10/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Generic medicines Association today issued a call for criminal sanctions rather than technology to stem the flow of counterfeit drugs. This will stop counterfeiters, not bar-codes, said Antonyia Parvanova, a member of the European Parliament, according to an EGA press release. He was speaking at an EGA event on 10 November. The European […]
Study Flags Internet Censorship As Open To Challenge At WTO 10/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Censorship of content over the internet by national governments, ostensibly on moral or security grounds, could be subject to challenge at the World Trade Organization for hindering trade in services, according to a working paper [pdf] published by Brussels think-tank the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE). According to the report, “there is a […]
“Most Important” Biodiversity Access/Benefit Meeting 09/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is this week undertaking what it said could be the most important negotiation in its history. The CBD is negotiating details of a fair and equitable access and benefit sharing (ABS) regime – in particular, the use of traditional knowledge as related to genetic resources and capacity building and […]