WIPO Assemblies Put Industry, Creators, Policymakers In Touch; Enforcement Committee Gets Mandate 01/10/2013 by William New and Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Policymakers at the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assembly over the past week have had significant exposure to what industry and creators are up to. Meanwhile, WIPO members approved the mandate for the WIPO committee on IP enforcement.
Civil Society Groups Launch Human Rights Principles Related To Mass Surveillance 21/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A coalition of civil society organisations yesterday officially launched a set of 13 principles on the application of human rights to communication surveillance during a side event at the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Negotiators, Stakeholders Tell Tale Of WIPO Marrakesh Treaty Negotiation, Look To Implementation 20/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Several negotiators and other stakeholders participating in last June’s successful negotiation of an international treaty to ease access to reading material for blind and visually impaired people recently gathered in Washington, DC to look back on the remarkable and at-times bitter talks. Months later, not all agree on certain historical details, such as the US position, but all agree it was a significant accomplishment.
Meeting Highlights Use Of Open Data In Science, Health And Sustainable Development 18/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the end of a two-day conference in Switzerland, open knowledge experts emphasised the role of open data in strengthening science findings’ credibility, fostering medical research and enhancing sustainable development.
Motion Picture Association Study Finds Search Engines Complicit In Piracy 18/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study released today by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the company of members of the United States Congress found that internet search engines play a key role in user access to copyright infringing content online. The copyright industry study will be used to make the case that search engine companies, such as Google, need to take more responsibility in deterring use of unauthorised content without compensation to the rightsholders.
Stop Treating Symptoms And Start Curing Diseases: The End Of Graduated Response 18/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Rene Summer writes: The debate about copyright enforcement – whether rights holders’ unshakable conviction in the effectiveness of graduated responses is rational – has reached a watershed. This is not to say that there aren’t any ongoing, well-funded lobby campaigns around the world aimed at convincing policy makers to revert to the practice of some form of graduated response. Nor am I saying that there aren’t any other important considerations, such as the rights of citizens and intermediaries, to be weighted in when debating copyright enforcement, lessening the case for such practices. Rather, what I am saying is that arguing for graduated responses can no longer be done on efficiency grounds without at the same time being intellectually dishonest.
Experts Chart How To Take Open Knowledge Success To Next Level 18/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The process of opening up data from the public and private sectors has achieved relevant success in recent years, but many challenges are still to be overcome to make data really accessible and usable by the public. These were the main ideas that emerged from a meeting of open knowledge experts in Geneva yesterday.
Open Knowledge In The Spotlight This Week In Geneva 16/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Experts from all over the world are gathered this week in Switzerland to discuss open data initiatives, trends and future developments in the context of the 2013 Open Knowledge Conference, an annual event organised by the Open Knowledge Foundation.
US State Dept Donates US$350K To UN-Led Internet Governance Forum 05/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States State Department has made a one-time contribution of US$350,000 to the perennially cash-strapped Internet Governance Forum, a multi-stakeholder discussion forum established by the 2003-2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
EU’s Neelie Kroes Envisions “Tomorrow’s Internet,” An Improvement On US Model 03/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes, responsible for the European Digital Agenda, today launched the Future Internet Labs in London with a vision of what the internet could look like in the coming years. Her vision? Massive changes, millions of things talking to things, European technological independence, and a greater degree of security and privacy for people online.