European Officials Eye Pan-European Passport For Collective Copyright Licencing 08/11/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission is considering a proposal in the coming months to create a pan-European passport for collective music licensing intended to overcome stifling difficulties of 27 national collecting societies, a top official has told Intellectual Property Watch in the context of a meeting on copyright and competition.
WIPO Copyright Committee Tackles Visually Impaired Access, Other Exceptions 08/11/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is meeting this week in an attempt to advance proposals to improve global access to copyrighted works, following a disappointing summer meeting that ended without agreement. This week’s meeting also includes renewed discussions of proposed treaties on broadcasters’ rights and rights over audiovisual performances.
Dawn Of WIPO Industrial Design Treaty Talks; Internet As Trademark Danger Zone 07/11/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members this week took early steps toward the possibility of a treaty to facilitate the registration of industrial designs, and urged WIPO to continue addressing potential new challenges to trademarks from the impending expansion of domain names on the internet.
Lessig Calls For WIPO To Lead Overhaul Of Copyright System 05/11/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 13 Comments Influential copyright scholar Larry Lessig yesterday issued a call for the World Intellectual Property Organization to lead an overhaul of the copyright system which he says does not and never will make sense in the digital environment.
Controversy Over New IGF Mandate, UN Role In Internet Governance 04/11/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments A first proposal on the future mandate of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is on the agenda this week at the ongoing 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. A proposal prepared by the Group of 77 and China opts for another five-year mandate for the IGF to discuss internet public policy related issues and embraces the so-called multi-stakeholder principle.
Wikileaks Creator, In Geneva, Denounces US Abuse Of Human Rights 04/11/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments In a police-secured, airless room full of Geneva journalists, Julian Assange, creator and director of Wikileaks, today gave details of what he described as United States abuse of human rights in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as an alleged muzzling of US press on those subjects. The United States will undergo its first Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council tomorrow.
A Primer On Spotting IP Issues Associated with Social Media Websites and Content 30/10/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Most businesspeople and generalists understand that social media can be an important but risky part of doing business. This article seeks to identify how to spot potential intellectual property law issues associated with social media websites and content that can arise for a company.
UN And Internet Governance, Next Four Years: Better Cooperation Or Bigger Role? 27/10/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments After three weeks of negotiations, member countries and the secretariat of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union hailed the consensus and success of the 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference, which sets the ITU work programme for the next four years. But even through the final rounds of applause, the tensions about how much the internet features in the core mandate of the Union remained audible.
IP And Competition Policy Can Help Each Other, Officials Say 26/10/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property and competition policy are sometimes seen as counterweights, but an efficient patent system and effective competition policy are ultimately complementary in nature, speakers said at an event today at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
European Ruling Could Reshape Collective Copyright Levy System 25/10/2010 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a ruling expected to rock Europe’s controversial copyright levy system, the European Court of Justice held on 20 October that governments may impose fees on digital reproduction equipment to compensate rights holders only when the devices are likely to be used for private copying.