Spirit Of Innovation Runs High At South African IP Conference 25/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – An industry-government conference here last week captured the high spirit of innovation in South Africa, and discussed ways in which intellectual property rights play a role in the effort.
Rea Departs, Focarino Takes Over As Head Of USPTO 22/11/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US Patent Commissioner Margaret A. (Peggy) Focarino today took over the duties as head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), after Acting Director Teresa Rea’s resignation took effect on 21 November, the USPTO said in a release.
Goodlatte Patent Bill Heads To House; Trolls Not So Bad, After All? 22/11/2013 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As a bill aimed at curbing patent “trolls” and frivolous patent lawsuits makes its way through the United States Congress and states fight their own troll battles in the name of consumer protection, some patent attorneys and stakeholder groups want lawmakers to slow down and take a breath.
A Question Of Balance In IP Rights In South Africa 21/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – There are human rights issues with intellectual property, Mmboneni Muofhe, deputy director-general for international cooperation and resources at the South African Department of Science and Technology, said at an industry-driven conference here this week.
Goodlatte Patent Troll Bill Being Marked Up; Patent Lawyers Say Let AIA Work 20/11/2013 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK – Anyone who depends on – and cares about – the American patent system needs to make some noise to their representatives in Congress and protest a potentially “awful” piece of legislation that has wide support, a popular US patent judge said this week.
India Weathering Doubts About Its Approach To Intellectual Property 18/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments NEW YORK – The US Chamber of Commerce has been on a campaign to show that India’s recent treatment of intellectual property is harming foreign investment and its economy. Last week, the heavyweight Washington industry group brought its argument directly to the investment community in Manhattan.
Comments Received On South Africa’s Process For New IP Policy 18/11/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments CAPE TOWN – The much-anticipated process of public submissions into the draft South Africa National Intellectual Property Policy has come to a close. The country’s trade minister says the office is busy collating the 100 documents submitted by interested stakeholders and plans to submit a formal policy to cabinet for approval in the first quarter of next year.
South African Government Draws Many Views On Draft New National IP Policy 15/11/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN – The much-anticipated process of gathering public submissions on the draft South Africa National Intellectual Property Policy has come to a close. The country’s trade minister says the office is busy collating some 100 documents submitted by interested stakeholders, and plans to submit a formal policy to cabinet for approval in the first […]
Health Diplomacy Spreading, Competent Health Diplomats Needed, Geneva Speakers Say 15/11/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Global health diplomacy was the subject of a symposium organised by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute this week. The symposium explored the crossing lines between health diplomacy and science diplomacy, in particular how can diplomacy facilitate international scientific cooperation in health. This week was also the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization protocol against illicit trade in tobacco products.
“Licences For Europe” Stakeholder Dialogue Ends With Some Agreement, Some Criticism 13/11/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Licences for Europe, a European Commission-launched stakeholder dialogue intended to make more copyright-protected content available online, ended today with some concrete proposals but also some criticism. The exercise – which focussed on cross-border access and portability of services, user-generated content and micro-licensing, audiovisual cultural heritage, and text and data mining – brought applause from book publishers and commercial broadcasters, but complaints from civil society groups and internet companies.