Internet Content Control Is Here, UN Special Rapporteur Warns IGF 19/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Internet content regulation is coming, in fact it is already here,” said David Kaye, United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, during a panel organised by the Global Network Initiative on day one of the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva this week.
At Internet Governance Forum, Developing Countries Explain Need To Tread Carefully On E-Commerce Policy 18/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Who does not like to have the possibility to shop online, or benefit from online services? No one disputes the advantage of the digital age, but in a world in which a very small number of actors, such as Google and Facebook, hosted by rich countries, reap most of the advertising benefits, developing countries are wary of binding rules which would only serve to enhance the digital and economic divide, according to speakers on an opening panel today at this week’s Internet Governance Forum.
Internet Governance Forum Next Week: Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data On Agenda 13/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The 12th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum will open in Geneva next week. The United Nations entity, which presents itself as a free electron of internet governance, will host a large number of sessions addressing pressing issues of the digital world, including big data, cyber security, and artificial intelligence. Discussions held at the forum will enhance understanding of the broad issue of internet governance, and help hold actors accountable.
European Parliament Wants To Write The Rules For Digital Trade 12/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Parliament today adopted a report that lays out a European digital trade strategy. Adopted by a margin of 510 to 95 in Strasbourg, the report obliges the Commission to make digital trade an essential part in the European trade policy.
Copyright Skirmishes From The European Snippet War 08/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new European Union ancillary copyright provision for news publishers will help them against news aggregators and platform providers, promised proponents and two panellists favouring the addition of the EU Copyright Reform at a workshop of the Justice Committee (JURI) of the European Parliament in Brussels today (7 December). But it’s a promise that cannot be kept according to a study commissioned by the Parliament and also presented during a feisty discussion at the workshop.
EU Parliament Justice Committee Ponders Regulation Of Copyright And Liability In 3D Printing 07/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Should the European Parliament consider regulation on 3D printing with regard to intellectual property protection and civil liability? Members of the Justice Committee (JURI) today at their session in Brussels were divided with representatives from the Green Party group as well as the conservatives and liberals cautioning against erecting barriers to the technology.
Must All Foreigners Online Comply With US Copyright Law? (Part 2 of 2) 05/12/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A case now before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, Spanski Enterprises v. Telewizja Polska, creates a legal dilemma. The court needs to find Telewizja liable for copyright infringement, or else the court will create a roadmap for pirates, enabling them to stream copyrighted works into the US with impunity. But if the court finds Telewizja committed infringement simply because the Polish company put online works that could be accessed in the US, the court will apply US copyright law in an extraterritorial manner that will create problems around the globe.
Retransmissions Of TV Shows From Cloud Services Need Copyright Owner’s Consent, EU High Court Rules 30/11/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment VCAST, a UK company that makes available to its customers internet retransmissions of Italian television programmes stored in the cloud, must obtain right holders’ consent first, the Court of Justice of European Union (CJEU) ruled on 29 November.
Must All Foreigners Online Comply With US Copyright Law? (Part 1 of 2) 29/11/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment US copyright law is supposed to apply only within US borders, not to actions done in Poland. But when a company in Poland streamed copyrighted TV shows into the US, that infringed US copyrights, according to a US trial court. This decision will be upheld on appeal, experts widely expect. Such an appellate decision, however, could expand the reach of US copyright law to a problematic extent. It will be tricky to find infringement in this case without also extending US copyright law to any online content posted anywhere on the globe.
Get Prepared For A Passel Of EU Legislation On Copyright And Related Rights 21/11/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments This week several committees in the European Parliament voted on a pile of copyright-related dossiers, and in some instances the steps taken were really small. But the issues include controversial aspects in the legislative drafts on copyright review, broadcasting content and digital content, such as an obligation for providers to monitor third party content, intermediary liability and website blocking.