Take The Brussels University Survey On Beliefs About IP 15/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Free University of Brussels has set out to map predominant normative and causal beliefs regarding IP laws and policies. To give your input and participate in the survey, click on www.surveymonkey.com/s/IP_Community.
Ukraine WTO Trademark Dispute Vs. Australia Tests Public Health Measures 14/03/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Ukraine yesterday filed a World Trade Organization dispute settlement case against Australia for its 2011 law requiring plain packaging on tobacco in an effort to address the severe public health problem related to its use. The case could represent an important measure of the power of trade interests versus public health decisions by governments.
Blocking Of Internet Traffic Common In Europe – EU Report 14/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Operators and internet service providers in Europe resort mostly to blocking voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) and peer-to-peer traffics to guard the security of and prevent congestion on their networks, according to a preliminary report from the European Union telecommunications regulator, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).
US Aims To Boost Its Efforts Against Overseas Infringers 13/03/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment US President Barack Obama wants the country’s Justice Department to get by with a bit less money next fiscal year – but not when it comes to prosecuting overseas infringers of American IP rights.
Costa Rican President Tells ICANN Of Concern Over Internet Restrictions 12/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla opened the 43rd meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in San Jose with concern about “attempts to regulate the network among which we have the Stop Online Piracy Act seeking protection of intellectual property by restrictions on the addressing and the Protect intellectual Property Act seeking to extend some national jurisdiction towards the entire cyberspace.”
US Congressman Posts ACTA For Open Debate 07/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States congressional representative has posted the text of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to the internet and is calling for public comments out of the fear that the agreement will harm the open internet.
Cybersquatting Cases Reached New Record In 2011, WIPO Reports 06/03/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The number of cybersquatting cases filed with the arbitration body of the World Intellectual Property Organization reached a record high in 2011 with 2,764 cases filed by trademark owners, the UN agency reported today. WIPO also expressed alarm over the potential impact on cybersquatting of a move underway to add more generic domain names to the internet.
WIPO Sets Record For International Patent Filings In 2011; LDCs Not A Factor 05/03/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization today announced that it had set a new record for filings of patents at the international level in 2011, in what the UN agency attributed to a focus on innovation. Patents filed under the WIPO-managed Patent Cooperation Treaty shot up more than 10 per cent last year in the fastest growth since 2005, and a Chinese company took top honour for most filings.
Internet Governance In 2012: Reaching New Heights Or Hitting A Wall 05/03/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment There will be more than 50 important meetings talking internet in 2012, and activists and government alike have started calling for streamlining or better cooperation and focus. Yet what might make 2012 a very notable year with regard to the politics of the net is not these meetings, but the rising storms blowing over the net regarding day to day internet politics. The preliminary stop of the un-beloved SOPA/PIPA legislation in the United States and the unexpected hesitation of Europe to sign the controversial ACTA agreement gave a first taste of a hot year in internet governance.
European Parliament Hears Pitch For ACTA; But Did It Change Minds? 02/03/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement consumed hours of European Parliament time this week as the European Commission sought to persuade lawmakers to approve it. But no matter how often EC officials, academics and lawyers said the treaty will not change EU law, scepticism still remains about its potential impact on digital freedoms and access to generic medicines in developing countries – including from the Parliament member who will author the legislative report.