UPOV 1991 Will Adversely Impact Farmers In Tanzania, Civil Society And Farmers Say 25/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Tanzania is on the road to becoming a member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), but Tanzanian civil society and farmers’ organisations have warned about possible detrimental effects on small-holder farmers and have asked government to halt the ratification process until all stakeholders have been consulted.
South Africa: Trampling Tradition – A Call For Support 25/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 5 March, the Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Wilmot James, submitted a Private Members’ Bill to the Office of the Speaker entitled the Protection of Traditional Knowledge Bill – a new traditional knowledge bill that would supplant the one recently sent back by the president of South Africa, Cobus Jooste writes.
Global Fund Receives USD 1.65B From US Congress; Names New Board Leadership 25/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Congress on 21 March approved US$ 1.65 billion in aid and support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and US$ 4.07 billion for the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The Global Fund also announced a new Board chair and vice-chair.
Diverging Views On IPR Protection Needs In Africa Emerge At IP Workshop 25/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Nigeria’s booming film industry, born in an intellectual property-free environment, was presented as a case study of how IP needs may vary depending on context during a recent workshop organised by the US Commerce Department. In parallel, representatives of multinational brands and law enforcement delivered a strong message on the gravity of counterfeit trade, highlighting its link to organised crime.
ICANN Releases gTLD Initial Evaluation Results 22/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today began posting the first generic top level domains (gTLDs) to pass Initial Evaluation of its new gTLD programme.
German Parliament Votes To Protect News Snippets From Republishing 22/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Munich – A controversial update to German copyright law providing for an auxiliary protection for tiny extracts from press articles has been finally passed by the German Upper House (“Bundesrat”).
US Objective For EU-US FTA: Elevate IPR Enforcement 21/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) yesterday notified the US Congress of its intent to negotiate a free trade agreement with the European Union. And in case there was any doubt, among the negotiating objectives will be to raise the level of intellectual property rights protection and enforcement.
European Commission VP Kroes Urges Open Internet, Prods Copyright Owners 21/03/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president responsible for the digital agenda, today told a parliamentary committee that choices of copyrighted content, cloud computing, internet freedom, and cybersecurity are key to European values and its economy.
European Court Upholds Confidentiality In International Treaty Talks 20/03/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Second Chamber of the European General Court in a judgment today strengthened confidentiality rules in international treaty negotiations.
At US-Led Workshop, African Stakeholders Call For “Home Grown IP Agenda” 20/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – In a re-cast, smaller version of the event that was planned and postponed last year, the US State Department’s workshop on IP utilisation and protection in Africa opened yesterday. It is co-organised by the African Intellectual Property Group (AIPG), a new pro-IP association of stakeholders across the continent, which says it’s time for Africa find its own voice on intellectual property issues.