EU General Court Clears Copyright Collecting Societies Of Antitrust Charges 12/04/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European copyright collecting societies are not engaged in a cartel but the European Commission was correct in finding that some of the provisions in their reciprocal representation should be barred, the EU General Court (GC) said in a 12 April ruling. The case, which pits the International Confederation of Societies and Authors (CISAC) and 24 of its members against the EC, could be appealed to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ). CISAC said the decision proves its contention that it was not engaged in a conspiracy to restrict competition, and that it has already done away with the complained-of clauses. Separately, the ECJ has been asked to tackle several key issues in a German matter involving standards-essential patents encumbered with a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing agreement.
Is ICANN Policymaking Around Its Bottom-Up Multistakeholder Process? 12/04/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This week, registry, registrar and user constituencies at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) complained about what they saw as deviations from the bottom-up multistakeholder process by late additions made to policies or by processes never being laid out to the community for review.
New SMS Tool To Report Non-Tariff Trade Barriers At African Borders 12/04/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Small traders and businesses facing barriers to moving goods across African borders now can send a mobile phone text message alert that could help resolve the problems more quickly.
Debate In Beijing: ICANN As Online Content Regulator? 12/04/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The publication by governments of additional safeguards for new top-level domains at this week‘s 46th meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) sparked warnings that the private net management body should avoid becoming a content regulator.
Community Right To Access Unpublished Works Trumps Moral Rights Of Heir, Argentine Court Says 11/04/2013 by Maximiliano Marzetti for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a recent decision, Ediciones de la Flor SA c. Fontanarrosa Franco s. Acción Mere Declarativa (File No. 1420/08), the Court of First Instance in Civil and Commercial Matters No. 12 of Rosario, the second largest city in Argentina, ruled that the rights of the community to access unpublished works of a deceased author are superior to the moral rights of one of his heirs to oppose such publication.
Lack Of Progress In Closing Digital Divide Gap, Says World Economic Forum 10/04/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A significant gap remains in advanced and developing economies’ access to information technologies, according to the 2013 “Global Information Technology Report” released today by the World Economic Forum.
New Draft Traditional Knowledge Bill Published In South Africa 10/04/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments An alternative South African bill on the protection of traditional knowledge has been published in the official Government Gazette, and it would create a new system of intellectual property right specific to TK, according to South Africa experts.
Protection of Broadcasting Organisations, Another Treaty Brewing At WIPO 09/04/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The protection of broadcasting organisations will be discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week as delegates are expected to work on a text that could become an international treaty.
Brand Owners Seek Their Own ICANN Constituency Group 09/04/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Brand owners that have applied with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for their brand’s top level domain (TLD) are seeking to create their own constituency group.
WIPO Hails India’s Accession To Trademark System; India Advocates Balance 09/04/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A full room of country delegates and ambassadors gathered yesterday to celebrate the accession of India to the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks at the World Intellectual Property Organization. However, beyond the joy of accession, the recent decision of the Indian Supreme Court on a Novartis drug patent loomed in the room.