President Obama Backs RIAA In Online File-Sharing Case 07/04/2009 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment President Obama’s US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently filed a legal brief in support of damages sought by an affiliate of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), prompting some observers to speculate on the Obama administration’s impartiality in the RIAA’s file-sharing litigation campaign.
Enzymes A Potential Planet-Saver, But Heavy Patenting Necessary, Industry Says 07/04/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A dominant global producer of enzymes is arguing that enzymes in biotechnology can make a significant contribution to global environment improvement, but this effort comes with heavy patenting by the company.
People: Kean Out At WHO; US Trade Team In Place 06/04/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The latest news on people in the international IP community.
Compromise US Patent Reform Legislation Clears First Hurdle 02/04/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Sweeping patent reform legislation cleared a key United States Senate committee Thursday and is now headed for a vote on the Senate floor after compromises were reached on key sticking points in the bill.
G20 Envisions World IP Court; WIPO Hopeful Host 01/04/2009 by Martin Frobisher for Intellectual Property Watch 16 Comments LONDON—Leaders of the world’s largest economies struck a closed-door deal late Tuesday to create an international court for intellectual property litigation in a move sources said they deemed a best effort to turn back global economic demise.
US Trade Team Responds To Protectionist Pressure In Reports On Trading Partners 31/03/2009 by William New and Dirshaye Abate for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Obama administration’s new trade team has quickly come under pressure to focus on protecting United States interests, including enforcement of intellectual property rights, at a time when multilateral institutions urge governments to remain open for the sake of the global economy.
Industry Gets European Union Buy-In At Event Against Piracy, Counterfeiting 30/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission this week will launch a forum for coordinating attacks against counterfeit and pirated goods, to be announced at a daylong event featuring representatives from a wide range of industries. No representatives of the public interest or consumers appear to be included in the event or related initiatives.
Germany Opts For ISP Filtering Of Child Pornography; NGOs Warn Of Unintended Impact 30/03/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Several German ministries seem to be in a footrace to draft legal text for a filtering regime blocking child pornography from German users’ personal computers agreed by the government last week.
WIPO Patent Committee Calls For Further Study, Consultations 30/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Five new studies on select patent-related topics and informal, open-ended consultations on global issues are the key elements of future work for a World Intellectual Property Organization committee that wrapped up its meeting late Friday.
US Wrestles With Transparency As Europeans Urge Release Of ACTA Texts 27/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The parliaments of Sweden and the European Union are urging the European Union to make public all documentation related to a secretive global anti-counterfeiting treaty, while the United States has claimed the papers are a matter of national security and therefore a state secret. But now the US has decided to undertake a review of its transparency.