Will The Old Music Industry Giants Be Exchanged For New Ones? 02/02/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CANNES, FRANCE–The red carpets were still there at the Midem, the world’s largest music fair, but they have become shorter. The industry shattered over the years by the decline in physical sales and fighting fiercely against digital piracy this year praised the revenue from digital sources which have overtaken physical sales in some countries. But it remains to be seen – can the old giants partner with the new, digital platform giants, and survive?
WIPO Report Shows Strong Economic Contribution Of Copyright 01/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has prepared a report on the economic contribution of copyright industries in various large and small countries around the world, and industry supporters hailed it as evidence that the impact on GDP and jobs is significant, if surprisingly varied.
New Internet Domain Process Off To Smooth Start, ICANN Says 31/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The initial application period for the expansion of new generic top-level domains on the internet is going well after the first couple of weeks, but it is too soon to put the armoury of intellectual property protections to the test, the head of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said today.
European Commission Orders Italy To Drop Patent Linkage Delaying Generics 31/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission has issued a formal request to Italy to remove linkage between patents and generic medicines authorisation that it says is causing delays in generics reaching the market.
WHO, Gates, Industry And NGO Leaders Elevate Attention To Neglected Diseases 30/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A range of some of the world’s top public and private partners in public health today announced an “unprecedented” level of cooperation to fight diseases primarily afflicting poorest populations worldwide for which there is insufficient research and development and inadequate health systems. But how the initiative will tie in with governments’ efforts at the World Health Organization to craft a global framework to address these issues remains to be seen.
World Economic Forum ‘Cyber Resilience’ Initiative Includes IP Protection 27/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Economic Forum annual gathering of private sector leaders today released a “Cyber Resilience Initiative to Safeguard the Digital Environment” that includes a commitment to protect intellectual property rights online.
Most EU Members Sign ACTA; SOPA-Style Protests Building 27/01/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment While most of the 27 member states of the European Union signed the much-debated Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) yesterday in Tokyo, joining the United States, Japan and other ACTA partners, hackers brought down the website of the European Parliament, and a key official stepped down. This may be only the beginning of the protests and petitioning.
Obama Announces New Trade Enforcement Unit With IP Focus 25/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the annual State of Union address last night, US President Obama announced a new Trade Enforcement Unit that includes anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting.
ITU In “Urgent” Meeting On Global Spectrum As New Devices Gobble It Up 23/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A high-level, highly technical UN meeting that occurs about once every four years at which key decisions are made about wireless communications opened today in Geneva. The meeting comes as devices such as smart phones and tablets are devouring many times more spectrum than mobile phones of the past.
Is Piracy Part Of The Digital Ecosystem? 23/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The blog Monday Note has an analysis today on digital piracy in light of the media frenzy over the US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill last week. The analysis suggests that anti-piracy measures like France’s Hadopi are not working, but there is evidence that offering competitive legitimate download sites does work.