WIPO Copyright Committee: More Rights Or Limitations/Exceptions? 29/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee meets next week with some uncertainty. Unable to agree on the future work of the committee at the end of the last session, delegates will have to decide how they want to advance work on a proposed treaty protecting broadcasting organisations, and on limitations and exceptions to copyright for the benefit of libraries and education.
The Right To Be Forgotten: Balancing Conflicting Rights 26/06/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch and Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments In a widely publicised case last month, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) applied the “right to be forgotten,” requesting that internet search engines, under certain circumstances, delist links to personal data upon request. The court’s decision establishes a contentious balance between the right to privacy and the public’s right to access to information. The ECJ left this balance to search engines to implement on a case-by-case basis. While some argue in favour of these decisions, others fear the larger worldwide implications that cases are leading to.
Online Trust: Between Competences And Intentions 26/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Jovan Kubalija writes: Trust (or the lack thereof) is a frequent theme in public debates. It is often seen as a monolithic concept. However, we trust different people for different reasons, and in different ways. Sometimes we trust that people can do something (competences). In other situations our trust focuses on their intentions. This text is about trust in online space. It is inspired by discussions at the WSIS+10 high level dialogue on cybersecurity and trust.
US Supreme Court Aereo Ruling Threatens New Risks For Online Firms 25/06/2014 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet start-up Aereo suffered a major defeat today, when the US Supreme Court ruled that the company was guilty of copyright infringement. But Aereo may not be the only loser. The ruling could jeopardise a wide variety of other online businesses, many experts warned.
Publishers Make Recommendations As EU Copyright White Paper Nears 23/06/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the publication of the European Commission’s white paper on copyright due as soon as the beginning of July,as announced by the Commissioner Michel Barnier, the European Publishers Council (EPC) presented their own “Copyright Vision.”
UK IP Crime Unit Preliminary Report On Activities 20/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment To coincide with the International IP Enforcement Summit held on 11-12 June in London, the United Kingdom (UK) Intellectual Property Crime Group produced a preliminary version of its annual report to showing actions taken by several organisations to fight counterfeiting products.
Providing Equal Public Access To ICTs To Bridge The Digital Divide 18/06/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment While the last decade has been characterised by an explosion in the availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in 2014 the digital divide still exists and 4 billion people are not yet connected to the internet, especially those from the developing world. In order to achieve digital inclusion for all, speakers on a recent panel called for support for equal public access to ICTs notably through public libraries and other community centres.
Infojustice: More Than 70 Organisations Demand Finalised South Africa IP Policy 18/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Over 70 organisations globally have called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to urgently finalise South Africa’s National Intellectual Property (IP) Policy in an open letter delivered yesterday.
What Questions Did The WSIS+10 High Level Event Answer? 16/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Consultant Richard Hill writes: The WSIS+10 High Level Event (HLE) last week unanimously adopted two documents (a Statement and a Vision), consisting of some 37 pages of text. What can be learned from this event regarding the evolution of the Internet and its governance? Some of what can be learned confirms what was learned from Netmundial. This short note covers only such items (that is, those that overlap Netmundial), and it may not cover all such items. The HLE output contains many items that were not covered by Netmundial, and Netmundial covered some items that were not covered by the HLE (in particular mass surveillance and the transition of the IANA function).
States’ Role In Multistakeholder Internet Governance Evolving 16/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the global internet governance landscape started without states in the foreground, the multistakeholder model and the participation of governments in it is still evolving, a recent panel of experts said.