Urgent Need To Shift Away From Industrial Agriculture, Says UN Agency 25/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A recent report by a United Nations agency calls for an urgent shift of paradigm in agricultural development.
Brazilian President Warns US On Surveillance, Calls For UN Reform 25/09/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Brazilian President Dilma Roussef yesterday sent a stern warning to the United States over ongoing revelations of state espionage during the opening of the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York and at the same time called for a multilateral framework for internet governance.
UN Office of Human Rights Commissioner Seminar On Right To Enjoy Benefits Of Scientific Progress 24/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will hold a seminar on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications in Geneva next week.
WIPO General Assembly Opens With Loaded Agenda 23/09/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assembly opened today with an unusual number of issues for delegates to solve, in particular those inherited from the committee in charge of approving the budget and the programmes of the organisation earlier in the month. Among pressing issues are WIPO external offices and decisions to be made on potential treaties such as on industrial designs, the protection of broadcasting organisations, and the protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
Indonesia Becomes Fifth To File WTO Case Against Australia Tobacco Plain-Packaging 22/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Indonesia has become the fifth country to initiate dispute settlement procedures at the World Trade Organization challenging an Australian public health law requiring tobacco products to be sold in plain packages as a way to discourage their use.
Civil Society Groups Launch Human Rights Principles Related To Mass Surveillance 21/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A coalition of civil society organisations yesterday officially launched a set of 13 principles on the application of human rights to communication surveillance during a side event at the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Negotiators, Stakeholders Tell Tale Of WIPO Marrakesh Treaty Negotiation, Look To Implementation 20/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Several negotiators and other stakeholders participating in last June’s successful negotiation of an international treaty to ease access to reading material for blind and visually impaired people recently gathered in Washington, DC to look back on the remarkable and at-times bitter talks. Months later, not all agree on certain historical details, such as the US position, but all agree it was a significant accomplishment.
Members Of US Congress Urge US To Oppose Re-Election Of WIPO Director Gurry 20/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments A handful of influential members of the United States Congress have sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the Obama administration not to support the re-election of World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry.
Study: Patent Trolls In US Use Business Method Patents To Target More Firms 20/09/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Patent assertion entities in the United States have done well from software patents. These companies, which some call “patent trolls,” have garnered a clear majority of their revenues by licensing software patents and suing those who refuse to purchase licences. But these companies’ reliance on software patents may be coming to an end. In recent years, these companies are increasingly exploiting business method patents, and by doing so are targeting a much larger range of businesses, according to a recently released study.
Nearly Half Of All US Patent Cases Filed In Delaware Or Eastern Texas 19/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment More than 45 percent of all patent lawsuits in the United States in 2013 have been filed in two locations, with Delaware taking top spot over the Eastern District of Texas, according to a mid-year analysis.