US Film Industry Praises Republicans On IP And Internet Freedom 30/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) today (29 August) issued a statement praising the platform language of the Republican Party, which is opposing President Obama in this year’s presidential election.
Public Library Must Provide Accessible E-Readers Under US Law 29/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Justice Department and the National Federation of the Blind have reached a settlement with the Sacramento, California Public Library Authority to fix violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act caused by using Barnes & Noble NOOK electronic reader devices in a patron lending programme. The readers excluded persons who are blind or have other disabilities requiring features such as text-to-speech or access through audio or tactile options. The library will no longer purchase exclusionary devices and has agreed to acquire a set of accessible ones, as well as train staff on the requirements of the disabilities law.
WIPO Still On Course For Instruments On Copyright Exceptions, Broadcasting 26/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization late last night reached agreement on a timeline for completing treaties – or instruments – on a range of copyright exceptions, including the possibility of a high-level negotiation for visually impaired and blind readers in 2013.
Public Interest Groups Take Aim At FCC Net Neutrality Order 25/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Tech Freedom, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Free State Foundation, and the Cato Institute filed an amicus brief yesterday with the Washington, DC Court of Appeals claiming that the US Federal Communication Commission’s 2011 “Preserving the Open Internet” order is unconstitutional.
Down To The Wire, WIPO Copyright Committee Seeks Compromises 24/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members working morning, noon and night for over a week in order to agree on texts for broadcasters’ rights and a range of copyright exceptions appear to be finding ways forward on all of them as they head into the final day, according to participants.
European Commission Seeks Public Input On Preservation Of The Open Internet 23/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Commission (EC) announced today that it would begin a period of public consultation on the subject of internet neutrality.
WIPO Copyright Committee Negotiating Texts Available 23/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is meeting intensively to try to resolve differences on a variety of instruments, from visually impaired readers, to broadcasting, to educational and research institutions. Intellectual Property Watch has the latest texts.
Texts On Broadcasting, Copyright Education Exceptions, Metamorphise At WIPO 18/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee today received a large compilation text of proposals on limitations and exceptions for education and research, and promptly set about totally reworking it. They also reopened negotiations on a broadcasters’ rights treaty based on a new comparative table of proposals which they quickly deemed in need of redrafting. On broadcasting, the United States reopened a debate over whether the treaty should cover internet transmissions.
New Proposals At WIPO Show Global Debate On Limitations And Exceptions To Copyright 17/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments New proposals for a text put forward today at the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee show the state of the global debate over limitations and exceptions to copyright for education and research.
ITU Cautious On Transparency Of New Telecom Regulations 16/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The UN International Telecommunication Union will publish the draft document for the future International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) and open a website for public comments on the much-debated document. But some hoped for more.