EU Parliament Committee Receives Recommendations On Surveillance 19/12/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs today received an oral summary of the draft recommendations on mass surveillance, after hearing the testimony of former Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald.
WIPO Assembly: Potential Design Treaty Misses Train To Russia In June, Still On Track For 2014 13/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments It took World Intellectual Property Organization members long hours in informal consultations over the past two days and far into last night to try solving two outstanding issues in the extraordinary session of the organisation’s General Assembly. Yet another extraordinary session is on the way in May to try to agree on the convening of a diplomatic conference – a high level treaty negotiation – on industrial designs later in 2014.
Candidates From Australia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Vie For WIPO Director Seat 06/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The names are in: four candidates will compete to be the next director general of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization. In addition to Australia’s nomination of incumbent Francis Gurry to lead for a second term, Nigeria, Panama, and at the last minute, Estonia, submitted names.
IP-Watch Works To Open TPP Text; USTR Misses Response Deadline 04/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments Intellectual Property Watch has been working to make more information public about US government involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement under negotiation with 11 other countries.
Yemen Accedes To WTO; Outcry Over Tough TRIPS Deadline 04/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At the World Trade Organization Ministerial in Bali, Indonesia today, Yemen was accepted as a new least-developed country member. Its terms for joining included adoption of full intellectual property trade rules by 2016, which more than 160 civil society groups worldwide said is in contravention of last summer’s agreement to extend the period for LDCs to adopt such rules to 2021 or later.
WIPO Committee Opens With Debate On Review Of Development Agenda Implementation 18/11/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization development committee opened its meeting this week with a heavy list of subjects to cover but developing country delegates insisted on diving headfirst into the issue of an independent review to measure how WIPO applies a development dimension to its activities.
“Licences For Europe” Stakeholder Dialogue Ends With Some Agreement, Some Criticism 13/11/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Licences for Europe, a European Commission-launched stakeholder dialogue intended to make more copyright-protected content available online, ended today with some concrete proposals but also some criticism. The exercise – which focussed on cross-border access and portability of services, user-generated content and micro-licensing, audiovisual cultural heritage, and text and data mining – brought applause from book publishers and commercial broadcasters, but complaints from civil society groups and internet companies.
Wikileaks’ Release Of TPP Chapter On IP Blows Open Secret Trade Negotiation 13/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 9 Comments For years, the United States and partner governments have worked vigorously to keep the publics they represent from knowing what they are negotiating behind closed doors in the top-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. But today’s Wikileaks release of the draft intellectual property chapter blew that up, confirming the fears of public interest groups that this is an agreement heavily weighted toward big industry interests.
US Supreme Court Declines Review Of Controversial Copyright Ruling 13/11/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The US Supreme Court yesterday let stand an important appellate court ruling on copyright law, giving a boost to artists who repurpose others’ works and to supporters of fair use rights. This decision, however, upset many copyright owners, who fear it will allow their works to be used without payment and without their consent.
US Civil Society Demand To Know If They Were Spied On: ‘Core American Principles’ At Stake 12/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Nearly 40 US civil society groups – including some household names in consumer protection – today sent a letter to the heads of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) demanding to know if their activities related to US trade policy have been spied on. The groups said core American principles are at stake and that they have a right to the assurance that their operations are not under surveillance by US government agencies.