Broadcasting Industry Makes Case For WIPO Treaty Revival 27/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment To kick off the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee meeting this week, representatives primarily from the broadcasting industry gave their views on key developments in the field, and what that means for intellectual property protection. The overwhelming message was the revival of a strong call for a global policy solution to address cross-border challenges in the industry, though a few speakers included attention to the public interest.
US Patent Reform Prospects Unclear; First-To-File Questioned 18/05/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Patent reform may be chugging along in the United States Congress, but so far, with the Senate soon to be consumed with what could be a contentious Supreme Court nomination fight, and with President Obama still lacking a new director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, some are questioning whether reform will actually happen this year. In addition, a key “first-to-file” provision in the US bill to harmonise with other countries may be more appearance than substance.
Seven Names Said To Be Chosen For Top WIPO Posts 13/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Word is out among Geneva diplomats that seven officials have been informally proposed to be the next cabinet of World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry.
May Edition Of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Now Available 12/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Edition features top news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the international IP community, news briefs and more. The May edition is now available for subscribers.
Golan Case May Put US In Violation Of International Copyright Treaties 08/05/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States federal court recently gave some bad news to the US government and many foreign copyright owners – including the estates of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, and Igor Stravinsky. The court struck down a US statute which had restored copyright protection to the works of these foreign authors. By limiting copyright restoration, the ruling might prevent the US from fulfilling its obligations under the Berne Convention and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
WIPO Buzzing With Possible Names For Top Cabinet Posts 05/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Behind the day-to-day policy and technical work at the World Intellectual Property Organization, member governments’ lobbying of new Director General Francis Gurry to obtain top positions for national officials at WIPO has been intensive in recent weeks and is near conclusion, according to sources. Among the pack of possible names is a recent former director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, according to sources.
WIPO Pushes Members On Patent Treaty Compliance; US Wants PCT II 04/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The secretariat of the World Intellectual Property Organization is working this week to gain support for a proposal to get countries to better implement the UN organisation’s core revenue-generating instrument, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). But some developing countries are wary of the proposed changes, even as the United States is calling for a new PCT.
IP And Sustainable Technology Debate Centres On Access And Benefit-Sharing 23/04/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and Catherine Saez 2 Comments As the need to protect the global environment grows, questions are being raised about how intellectual property might help incentivise the development of the right kinds of technology and its transfer to places that need it most.
Gurry To Judges: We Must Work For Changes To Global Patent Treaty 22/04/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The Patent Cooperation Treaty is not performing up to par and is not helping enough to alleviate the stress on the global patent system, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said here Tuesday. The backlog theme was echoed by judges from across the globe who said their dockets are getting fuller with IP-related cases.
Trust A Missing Ingredient In Global IP Enforcement Policy 21/04/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment When it comes to intellectual property rights enforcement, developed country rights owners and their governments continue to puzzle over how to get the rest of the world’s economies to drink from the trough now that they have brought them there. One approach that may regain interest is combining the all-out war on piracy with efforts to build greater trust in the enforcement system.