Pirate Party Gains Second Seat In EU Parliament 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This week’s ratification of the European Union Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic put in place the treaty and and with it a new Parliament member from the Swedish Pirate Party. The second Pirate Party seat will be occupied by the 22-year-old Amelia Andersdotter, who will become the youngest Member of the European Parliament, according […]
US Senate Letter Urges IP Rights In Climate Talks 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A bipartisan group of 42 of the 100 United States senators sent a letter to US negotiators in global climate talks in Barcelona this week urging the protection of intellectual property rights over any technologies developed to address climate change. In the 2 November letter, available here [pdf], they cautioned against allowing developing countries to […]
Governance Sought For Climate Tech As Bill Gates Applies For Patent 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments BARCELONA – As a global climate change convention is being discussed in Barcelona, the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology scheduled a hearing on 5 November about the implications of large-scale climate intervention, also called geoengineering. Geoengineering is the “intentional, large-scale plans to modify the climate and related system,” according to Diana […]
US Court Opens Door To Challenges Of Gene Patenting 03/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment US federal district court ruled yesterday that patents on human genes can be challenged in court. This unlocks a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT). The lawsuit was filed against the patenting of two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer. The lawsuit targeted the […]
Rest Of Europe About To Yield To HADOPI’s Siren Song? 03/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Concerns are rising among activists about the impending spread to the rest of Europe of French HADOPI-like legislations punishing alleged copyright infringers on the internet with a suspension of internet connection after three alleged violations (“three strikes”). The Conciliation Committee delegation of the European Parliament is expected to meet on 4 November to discuss a […]
Canada Finds Patents No Help For Poorest In Need Of Medicine 02/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments [Editor’s Note on 3 November: the report appears to be restricted access] Canada’s National Bureau of Economic Research today released a report on the relationship between patent protection for pharmaceuticals and investment in development of new drugs since the negotiation of the 1994 World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). […]
Betty King Nominated To Be Next US Ambassador In Geneva 23/10/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Betty Eileen King of New York has been nominated next United States permanent representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, an ambassador-level posting, the US Mission announced. The nomination has been sent to the US Senate for confirmation. This would not be King’s first ambassador-level posting. She was nominated to represent […]
US Chamber of Commerce Takedown Notice Targets Parody Site 23/10/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Chamber of Commerce industry group has issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notice against a ‘parody’ website that mocked the Chamber, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Earlier this week, a fake press briefing purportedly from the business lobby made international headlines for announcing an apparent about-face in the Chamber’s controversial […]
French HADOPI Law, Now Complete, Can Brandish Its Weapons 23/10/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The French Constitutional Council yesterday gave its ruling about the constitutionality of a French bill aiming to protect literary and artistic intellectual property rights online, and decided that the bill was in conformity with the French Constitution, asking only for a minor amendment, according to the Council ruling available here (in French). The legislation, nicknamed […]
European Commission Paper On Single Market For Creative Content 22/10/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The European Commission on 22 October published a “reflection paper,” available here (pdf), highlighting the challenges of creating a European digital single market for creative content, according to a press release. The paper was released at the same time as a study published by two European consulting firms and the Institute for Information Law at […]