Paper: States Need To Be Cautious With Internet Intermediary Liability 08/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new paper from a Yale Law lecturer has outlined some general principles that governments must consider when imposing liability for internet intermediaries amid the lack of an international law covering online third-party liability.
A High-Level Collegium Calls For New Global Governance 07/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A collegium of scientists, philosophers and former heads of state launched an appeal yesterday in Geneva for world governance they called “Global Solidarity, Global Responsibility.”
Berlin Court Rules Facebook Violates User Rights 07/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The District Court of Berlin, Germany, yesterday ruled that user rights were violated by several parts of social media site Facebook’s general terms and conditions and by its “friendfinder” feature. With regard to copyright law, the automatic worldwide exploitation right granted by users clicking off the terms and conditions was invalid, the court ruled.
US Congressman Posts ACTA For Open Debate 07/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States congressional representative has posted the text of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to the internet and is calling for public comments out of the fear that the agreement will harm the open internet.
EU Digital Commissioner: Open Public Data, The Oil Of The Digital Age 05/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, today called for public data to be opened up for all to use, somewhat akin to providing the free oil of the digital age.
US, WIPO IP Summit In Africa Postponed 26/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A training programme on intellectual property organised by the United States with several partners to be held in Africa in April has been postponed under pressure to make the programme more transparent and representative of all stakeholders.
ACTA Ratification Suspended In Europe, Awaits High Court Opinion 23/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Union’s progress of adopting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiated last year has been suspended pending a ruling by Europe’s highest court, the European Trade Commissioner announced yesterday.
WHO Group Keeps Lid On Bird Flu Lab Results – For Now 17/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A group of public health experts gathered by the World Health Organization agreed today to continue a moratorium on research done on the H5N1 bird flu virus modified in a laboratory to be more transmissible between mammals. But they said research should continue on the naturally occurring version of the virus.
Microsoft Says It Will Not Act On Patents In Standards 13/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Microsoft Corporation has issued a statement that it will not seek injunctions on its standard essential patents in keeping with its promises to international standards organisations. It further said it will make those essential patents available for licence without condition.
WIPO Offers Dispute Services For Objections To New TLDs At ICANN 13/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has embarked on a programme of allowing new generic top-level domains on the internet (like .com), an initiative that has worried trademark holders and international organisations. Now the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center is offering services for trademark holders who wish to challenge proposals for new gTLDs later this year.