WIPO Assemblies Put Industry, Creators, Policymakers In Touch; Enforcement Committee Gets Mandate 01/10/2013 by William New and Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Policymakers at the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assembly over the past week have had significant exposure to what industry and creators are up to. Meanwhile, WIPO members approved the mandate for the WIPO committee on IP enforcement.
WIPO Assembly Approves New Work Mandate On GR, TK Protection 30/09/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly today renewed the mandate of its committee working on the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. The full membership approved a deal reached in an informal session on 27 September, and statements made today showed that profound differences remain.
WIPO Election: Two Candidates For Director So Far, More Could Follow 29/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Two candidates to lead the UN World Intellectual Property Organization from 2014 to 2020 have been formally nominated by their governments in the past week. And according to sources, others are being considered.
WTO Panel Established In Honduras Case Vs. Australia Tobacco Packaging 28/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body has established a panel on a complaint by Honduras against Australia’s measure to require tobacco to be sold in plain packaging as a public health measure.
WIPO Members Reach Tentative Deal On TK Treaties; External Offices Mired 27/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization members this evening reached a hard-won preliminary agreement on a path to a high-level negotiation of treaties or other instruments for the protection of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources. The tentative deal, reached in informal meetings, creates an intensive work programme for the next year and a final decision in September 2014. The plan will have to go before the full WIPO membership in plenary as soon as Monday.
Indonesia Becomes Fifth To File WTO Case Against Australia Tobacco Plain-Packaging 22/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Indonesia has become the fifth country to initiate dispute settlement procedures at the World Trade Organization challenging an Australian public health law requiring tobacco products to be sold in plain packages as a way to discourage their use.
Parliament Member Named IP Adviser To UK Prime Minister 18/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A member of the UK Parliament active in promoting intellectual property rights has been named the UK prime minister’s adviser on IP with a focus on enforcement.
Motion Picture Association Study Finds Search Engines Complicit In Piracy 18/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study released today by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the company of members of the United States Congress found that internet search engines play a key role in user access to copyright infringing content online. The copyright industry study will be used to make the case that search engine companies, such as Google, need to take more responsibility in deterring use of unauthorised content without compensation to the rightsholders.
Stop Treating Symptoms And Start Curing Diseases: The End Of Graduated Response 18/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Rene Summer writes: The debate about copyright enforcement – whether rights holders’ unshakable conviction in the effectiveness of graduated responses is rational – has reached a watershed. This is not to say that there aren’t any ongoing, well-funded lobby campaigns around the world aimed at convincing policy makers to revert to the practice of some form of graduated response. Nor am I saying that there aren’t any other important considerations, such as the rights of citizens and intermediaries, to be weighted in when debating copyright enforcement, lessening the case for such practices. Rather, what I am saying is that arguing for graduated responses can no longer be done on efficiency grounds without at the same time being intellectually dishonest.
Infojustice: Peruvian Legislators File Motion Seeking Public Debate On Trans-Pacific Partnership 16/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Infojustice.org writes: On August 28, a group of members of the Peruvian legislature – the Parlamentario Acción Popular-Frente Amplio – proposed a motion that asks for greater transparency in the Trans Pacific Partnership Negotiations. Specifically, the motion seeks “a public, political, and technical debate on the proposals of the Trans-pacific Partnership” and requests “the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism and the technical team in charge of the Trans-pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to report on the matter.”