GI Proponents Assess Progress, Challenges; French Minister Blasts Large-Scale Agriculture 24/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Bordeaux, France – In a stronghold of French gastronomy and famous regional products an industry organisation lobbying for the protection of geographical indications chose this week to convene its general assembly and set the goals for future actions.
EU Parliament Backs Start Of Transatlantic FTA Negotiations 23/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Parliament today voted in favour of a resolution welcoming the start of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). With 460 votes in favour, 105 against – mainly the Green Party Group and the Left – and 28 abstentions, the resolution passed after a heated debate Wednesday night. The majority allowed for the flexibility asked for by EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht in the debate but nevertheless requested to “exclude cultural and audiovisual services, including those provided online.”
Special Report: Big Trading Blocs Moving At Breakneck Pace To Raise Free Trade Standards 22/05/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The pace to negotiate bilateral or plurilateral free trade agreements has been accelerating rapidly over the last month as the big trading blocs seem eager to position themselves in the race for market access and standards. China, Japan and Korea in March hurried to open their first official round of negotiations (CJK), just in time to edge ahead of Japan’s joining the negotiations of an enlarged Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and also ahead of the official start of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) announced by the European Union and the United States earlier this year. Meanwhile, a concerned Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rushed to counter these ventures with their own competitive bid by starting detailed talks on a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Brunei Daressalam.
Infojustice: Trans-Pacific Partnership IP Chapter Stalled 20/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Infojustice.org reports from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Lima, Peru that the intellectual property chapter shows no sign of resolution and the end of the TPP talks in 2013 is now highly unlikely.
IPR Lists For Trans-Atlantic Trade Deal Still Growing; Risk Of Locking In Old IPR Regimes? 15/05/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Locking in Europe and the United States to “old” intellectual property regimes is the one “killer argument” against including an IP chapter in the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), according to Bernd Hugenholtz, director of the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the University of Brussels. Hugenholtz spoke at a workshop on “What Role for Intellectual Property Rights in the TTIP?,” organised by Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Group. Questions also were raised during the meeting about the lack of transparency of free trade negotiations.
Industry Report Calls For Fight Against Counterfeits In Free Trade Zones 15/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report released today by the International Chamber of Commerce Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) calls for increased regulation in free trade zones to stop the facilitation of counterfeiting and piracy in these areas.
US Supreme Court Rules In Favour Of Monsanto In Patent Exhaustion Case 13/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The United States Supreme Court found today that a farmer who buys patented seeds may not reproduce them through planting and harvesting without the right holder’s permission. The case, known as Bowman v. Monsanto, revolved around patent exhaustion. The Supreme Court was to decide whether patent exhaustion applied to patented seeds after their authorised sale.
How Listing Ukraine As A Priority Foreign Country In Special 301 Violates WTO Agreements 13/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Prof. Sean Flynn asks whether US sanctions of Ukraine under the US Special 301 program violates World Trade Organization rules. He also asks whether the operation of watch lists threatening sanctions for intellectual property matters could be challenged under the WTO even prior to any sanction going into effect.
LDC Request For Waiver Of IP Obligations Meets Conditions From Developed Countries 09/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The request by least developed countries (LDCs) to push back the date on which they would have to enforce intellectual property rules under the World Trade Organization is the subject of informal consultations between delegations, as the deadline is fast approaching. Particularly at stake is the time period of the extension, which developed countries would prefer to be limited. Meanwhile, well over 100 academics have voiced support for the LDCs’ request.
US Senate Committee Evaluates US Cyber Threat Response Efforts 08/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Advanced cyber espionage tools are readily available for use by foreign governments and organised criminal groups to coordinate cyber attacks on US computer networks, a United States law enforcement official said today in a prepared statement to a congressional panel.