French IP Lawyers Prefer No Favours For Green Tech Patents; Welcome America Invents Act 20/03/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment PARIS – A meeting of IP professionals held in Paris last week reaffirmed the importance of intellectual property and its protection to the private sector. Meanwhile, panellists at the event argued that green technologies should not benefit from a special regime. They also hailed the new America Invents Act as facilitating patent applications in the United States.
Debate Heats Up Ahead Of EU Parliament Discussion On ACTA 19/03/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Opposing opinions on the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) clashed anew ahead of next week’s meetings of the European Parliament where the EU body may make critical decisions on the fate of the deal.
US Group Creates Social Platform To Lobby For And Create Internet Reforms 19/03/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Public Knowledge, a Washington, DC-based public interest group, has launched an initiative that capitalises on active participation from American online and social media users to lobby for the adoption of some reforms in internet governance aimed at protecting knowledge access.
Global Business Stands Up For Multilateral Trade At WTO 16/03/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The global business community this week re-committed its support to governments in multilateral trade negotiations in the hopes of overcoming the Doha Round stalemate. Business and trade experts from more than 20 countries gathered at the World Trade Organization for a first conference bringing private sector perspectives to international trade.
Take The Brussels University Survey On Beliefs About IP 15/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Free University of Brussels has set out to map predominant normative and causal beliefs regarding IP laws and policies. To give your input and participate in the survey, click on www.surveymonkey.com/s/IP_Community.
WHO Under Siege By Private Sector, Group Asserts 13/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization is under siege by private sector forces using their financial leverage to gain undue influence in the financially beleaguered United Nations agency, a developing country-oriented group has said.
US Congressman Posts ACTA For Open Debate 07/03/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States congressional representative has posted the text of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to the internet and is calling for public comments out of the fear that the agreement will harm the open internet.
Indigenous Peoples Walk Out Of WIPO Committee On Genetic Resources 22/02/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The International Indigenous Forum, in an unprecedented collective move, decided yesterday to withdraw from the discussions of the WIPO Committee on Genetic Resources taking place from 14-22 February. The move calls into question the legitimacy of the negotiations.
ACTA Doubts Rampant In Europe; Industry Call For “Reasoned Assessment” 13/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 10 Comments Europeans came out by the thousands this week to protest the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), as it goes before the parliament and the remaining governments that have not yet signed on. But a large number of industry associations sent a letter pushing officials to carefully consider the agreement before dismissing it under popular pressure.
US Copyright Industries Call For Action On Piracy; NGOs Call For Scrutiny 10/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The major US copyright industries today issued a list they said “documents rampant online and physical piracy of copyrighted works and severe market access barriers.” Public interest groups will be watching closely to see if the list submitted to the US government is incorporated wholesale into a package of government assertions of inadequate protection of US intellectual property rights by trading partners.