US High Court Backs Foreign Manufacturers Over US Patentees 10/03/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Under Donald Trump, the United States has adopted new, protectionist policies. “America first,” the President has repeatedly and loudly declared. It appears, however, that the US Supreme Court didn’t get the memo. The Court, in a recent patent law case, sided with foreign companies and consumers, at the expense of US patent owners. The unanimous ruling protects international supply chains instead of domestic US manufacturing.
Legal Swords Sharpened In Kenya-Manchester Cancer Drug Rights Dispute 07/03/2017 by Maina Waruru for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya — A dispute between Kenyan researchers and the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, over ownership of a cancer discovered after successful clinical trials in Kenya finally seems headed to courts.
Unauthorised Streaming Of TV Broadcasts Breaches Copyright, EU High Court Rules 02/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Internet television broadcasting service TVCatchup (TVC) may not offer live streams of free-to-air TV broadcasts without permission, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a 1 March judgment.
Many Questions On Potential Multilateral Investment Court System 27/02/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The European Commission is pushing ahead with its Multilateral Investment Court (MIC) project, but called requests to eliminate specialised investor protection mechanisms unrealistic during a dedicated meeting with stakeholders in Brussels today.
Will US Follow UK Lead In Case On Copyright And Interoperability? 27/02/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a case pitting copyright protection against competition, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit must decide whether World Programming Limited (WPL) violated SAS Institute’s copyright by copying software interfaces that enable interoperability. WPL has already won the argument in the UK and in Europe’s highest court. The case has drawn strong support on both sides from the tech sector and a civil liberties group.
US Federal Court Bars Online Publication Of Copyrighted Standards Incorporated Into Laws 17/02/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a case pitting standards development organisations against internet content aggregators, a United States federal court ruled that Public.Resource.Org breached copyright by posting unauthorised copies of standards incorporated into government education regulations. Public Resource has appealed.
When Machines Create Intellectual Property, Who Owns What? 16/02/2017 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The concept of machines that can think and create in ways that are indistinguishable from humans has been the stuff of science fiction for decades. Now, following major advances in artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property created by machines without human input is fast becoming a reality. The development thus begs the question among legal scholars, legislative bodies, and judiciary branches of governments worldwide of who owns the intellectual property that humans did not create.
EU Court Of Justice: EU Is Competent To Ratify Marrakesh Treaty 14/02/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The European Union ratification of a treaty allowing an exception to copyright for the benefit of visually impaired people might be yet one step closer as the Court of Justice of the EU found today that the EU has exclusive competence to conclude it.
Hepatitis C Patent Challenges In India, Argentina To Allow Generic Production 14/02/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Resistance to high prices for hepatitis C drugs is ongoing as five new challenges against patents have been filed in India and Argentina, according to sources. Those challenges aim at allowing the production and distribution of affordable generic versions of new hepatitis C medicines (direct-acting antivirals).
Quest For US Termination Of Copyright Made Uncertain By UK Duran Duran Judgment 03/02/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Efforts to reclaim rights under the US Copyright Act have increased recently as the window of opportunity for works created in the mid-20th century opens. In comparative cases, Paul McCartney’s decision to take back copyright assignments of his music in the United States appears to have been the right choice but may hang on a questionable UK ruling denying the same request by members of rock group Duran Duran, several intellectual property lawyers said.