High Copyright Transaction Costs Cause “Friction,” Google Economist Tells WIPO 16/09/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The combined forces of strengthening copyright law and the explosion of information has led to huge transaction costs in managing legitimate transactions of copyright material, the top economist from Google said yesterday at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
China Defies Global Trend In Patent and Trademark Applications, WIPO Says 15/09/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The global economic crisis led to a significant drop in patent and trademarks filings in 2008 and particularly in 2009 but there are signs of recovery, according to the World Intellectual Property Indicators 2010 report released today. China is still showing vigorous growth and demand in intellectual property protection.
Campaign Aims To Take Back Consumer Rights Over IP-Protected Products 14/09/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Copyright and patent laws “are often misused” for reasons that have “more to do with limiting competition and preventing consumers from making innovative uses of their products” than they do with stopping piracy, global consumer advocacy group Consumers International plans to tell a UN internet meeting today. Such misuse includes limitations on the use of third-party content on devices such as the iPhone, and regional codes that prevent consumers from playing DVDs bought legally abroad in a consumer’s home country.
Lack Of Transparency In EU-India FTA Talks Spurs Requests For Halt 03/09/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments European and Indian business not only have privileged access to information on the planned EU-India free trade agreement, they even set the agenda for this negotiation from the start. That is the conclusion of a study by the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and India FDI Watch published this week in Brussels and Delhi. Both organisations intend to appeal directly to the European Commission and the Indian government to stop negotiations as long as there is no access to negotiating positions and documents for all affected parties.
Human Survival Depends On Shared Technology, Says New UN Climate Chief 03/09/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In between climate change conferences, Christiana Figueres, newly appointed executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was in Geneva yesterday to attend a ministerial meeting convened by the Swiss and Mexican governments on climate change finance.
US Looking For New Tack On IP Rights With BRIC Countries 03/09/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Developed countries are looking for ways to address the ongoing lack of intellectual property enforcement and efforts to bypass international trade obligations in the four biggest emerging global economies, as well as emulation of this behaviour by other emerging economies in particular as the four countries have a stronger voice in international fora, a panel of United States trade experts said this week.
Rights Holders Launch Initiative To Protect Content In Africa 26/08/2010 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Foreign content producers and broadcasters hope the soon-to-be-launched Africa Media Rights Watch will help convince the region’s regulators and consumers alike to increase respect for copyright.
US Internet Neutrality Flare-Up Resonates Internationally 23/08/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A network neutrality policy proposed recently by industry giants Google and Verizon not only sparked controversy here in the United States, but the news is making waves internationally as well.
WHO Declares Flu Pandemic Over; Experts Behind Response Revealed 10/08/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The pandemic threat of the H1N1 or “swine flu” virus has now passed, World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan announced today.
US Jobs Bill Would Restrict Foreign Access To Patent Applications 28/07/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the jobless rate remain high and budgets tight, United States policymakers increasingly are looking for ways to boost domestic innovation in order to create new jobs and boost the economy. One such bill to be announced tomorrow, called the “Strategic Manufacturing & Job Repatriation Act” aims to develop a national manufacturing strategy to create American jobs, including by lowering access to early patent applications and prioritising university patents.