New White House IP Advisory Committees Elevate IP Enforcement To Highest Level 10/02/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments US President Barack Obama this week used an executive order to create two government advisory committees on intellectual property rights enforcement. The committees put IP rights at the highest interagency level possible and have the stated aim of promoting innovation through the protection of such rights.
International Patent Filings Begin To Bounce Back; China Rocketing, US At Half-Mast 09/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The storm appears to be subsiding for international patent filings as 2010 showed a cautious recovery in growth, the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization said today. After the first-ever drop in applications in 2009, 2010 filings almost returned to their 2008 level. And China holds pole position in growth numbers.
Brazil’s Copyright Reform: Schizophrenia? 08/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 26 Comments Pedro Paranaguá writes: Brazil’s new Minister of Culture is under severe pressure from civil society groups, academics and some artists. After just a few weeks in power, Minister Ana de Hollanda issued an order to take the Creative Commons license off the Ministry’s website. Why is that a problem?
WIPO Survey On Patent Filing Strategies Shows Rise In Optimism 07/02/2011 by Tavengwa Runyowa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A recent economic survey by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) assessed the expected growth in domestic and international patent filings in 2010 compared to 2009. The highest expected growth rates were reported in Asian countries, with modest and declining growth reported in Europe and the United States respectively.
Nations Begin Signing Protocol On Biodiversity Access And Benefit-Sharing 07/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Four developing countries have signed a recently completed international agreement on access to genetic resources and the fair retribution of benefits accrued from those resources. The protocol opened for signature in New York last week and efforts are underway to set up an information clearinghouse.
Counterfeit Congress Gives Nod To Developing Country Concerns 04/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments PARIS – Sustainable development made what some described as a welcome intrusion at the global congress on counterfeiting and piracy during a dedicated session on Wednesday, with discussions on how to conduct enforcement efforts while taking into account developing country specificities.
Europe Calls For Radical Change On Innovation; EU Patent In Works 02/02/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The European Union is failing to keep pace with key competitor nations and is in need of a radical new, greatly simplified, approach to research and innovation, the European Commission said today. And an element of what is needed is a European-wide patent.
Microsoft General Counsel On Pricing For The Poor, Cloud Computing 01/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A top official of the Microsoft Corporation paid a visit to his former school in Geneva yesterday on his way from the World Economic Forum, and talked about corporate responsibility, the company’s principles, infringement issues and cloud computing. He also tried to explain the company’s complex differential pricing regime aimed at lowering prices for lower income populations – especially if they don’t happen to speak a popular world language.
Last Online Voices Before Change Bursts From Digital Darkness In Egypt? 28/01/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For anyone in Egypt in recent months or years, it was impossible to ignore the extraordinary destitution of masses of people living in dusty, stark cement structures everywhere on the edges of Cairo or the choked roads clogged with a far-too-rapidly swollen population. Reports from the ground via digital technologies chronicled events that hit this week, but it might be the digital silence today that seals the change.
Innovation, Generic Drugs, Patents In Congress Follow Obama’s State of the Union Speech 28/01/2011 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments American lawmakers aren’t wasting any time getting down to business after President Obama stressed the importance of spurring innovation during his annual State of the Union address this week and cited the need for the United States to regain its competitive edge, particularly when up against countries such as China and India. A slew of related bills are emerging in Congress.