Should The EU Rethink Copyright Law For The Digital Music Age? 25/11/2008 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Europe’s copyright rules are ill-suited to an age when millions of music files can be accessed at the click of a mouse, a Brussels conference has been told. About eight million tracks by musicians from a wide variety of genres can now be listened to via […]
EU Favours Disclosure Of Computer Patents Before Standards Are Set 20/11/2008 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Computer firms may be required to divulge details of patents they hold before technology standards are set, a senior European Commission official has said. More than a year after the European Court of Justice ruled that Microsoft was abusing its dominant position in order to prevent its products being compatible with programmes developed by rivals, Brussels policymakers are continuing to assess what implications the judgment has for intellectual property and antitrust law.
Trademark Protection, Broadcast Rights Vital For Sports, Say Stakeholders 19/11/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Intellectual property protection is key to the innovation and infrastructure surrounding athletic achievement, said speakers at a World Intellectual Property Organization training event for journalists last week. Trademark protection, copyright protection and other forms of IP rights ensure that the organisations that promote sport and its participants can continue their work, they argued.
Controversy Over Internet Governance: ITU Families And ICANN Cosmetics? 18/11/2008 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch The Council of the UN International Telecommunication Union is set to talk Wednesday about the Union’s contribution to follow-up of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the third Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Turkey has tabled a resolution on strengthening the ITU’s role in the IGF. […]
Korea Close On “Graduated Response” Bill Aimed At Copyright Infringers 10/11/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Korean legislation might be getting tougher on copyright infringers as a new bill is expected to be considered by the National Assembly as soon as this month, according to a Korean official. Following France, the United Kingdom and other countries, Korea’s new bill would include four changes among which is a “graduated […]
WIPO Committee Advances Agenda On Copyright Exceptions, Broadcasting 09/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New As the senior staff of the World Intellectual Property Organization gathered outside its headquarters Friday to set the foundation stone of a new office building, WIPO member governments were struggling inside to agree on the foundation for the future of its key committee on copyright. In the end, the committee agreed to […]
User-Created Content Shows Uncertainty In EU Copyright Law 07/11/2008 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Uncertainty surrounds the application of European Union copyright rules to material uploaded onto the internet by private individuals, a new study has found. Recent years have seen a proliferation of websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Flickr which allow their users to post photographs, articles, videos […]
Participants Ready Agendas For New-Look WIPO Copyright Committee 31/10/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New World Intellectual Property Organization members gather in Geneva next week to take up old and new agenda items targeting international policy on copyright and related rights. Emerging agenda items are limitations and exceptions to copyright – including a possible proposed treaty on access for the visually impaired, and possibly artists’ resale rights, […]
Google Books Settlement A Possible Path To Resolution Of Digital Content Disputes 30/10/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Google’s groundbreaking settlement of copyright infringement claims by authors and book publishers this week resonates beyond the United States, the European Commission and a UK copyright lawyer said. While the agreement affects only US users of Google Book Search, it points the way toward possible solutions to the […]
Improbable Match: Open Licences And Collecting Societies In Europe 28/10/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Catherine Saez A French musical group has signed a contract with French collecting society Sacem allowing the exclusion of the group’s internet rights that some claim opens a door to a new model where authors could manage their internet rights while the collecting society administers all other rights related to the use of the […]