USTR Plans Another Year Of Elevating IP Protection With Trading Partners 04/04/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) last week delivered to Congress its 2008 National Trade Estimate Report (NTE), which includes many intellectual property-related challenges in 62 trading partners around the world. The report shows USTR’s plan to pursue ever-stronger IP protection with its trading […]
WTO/WIPO Colloquium Aimed At IP Teachers 03/04/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Catherine Saez Teachers of intellectual property from developing countries have been invited to attend a two-week colloquium jointly organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization from 30 June to 10 July. The fifth edition of this event offers 20 places for applicants from developing countries and countries with economies […]
US Election, Patent Reform Could Decide Fate of Voided USPTO Rules 03/04/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A United States federal court in Virginia Tuesday voided US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rules capping the number of continuation requests and claims patent seekers can submit without incurring additional costs and paperwork. The decision could spark a renewed agency push on Capitol Hill for rulemaking authority, […]
UK IP Chief: Copyright System A “Constant Conflict” 03/04/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch The copyright system is not a balance but a “constant conflict” whose nature must be continually debated, UK Intellectual Property Office Chief Executive Ian Fletcher said at a recent seminar on the future of copyright. The office is in the throes of a consultation on possible new copyright law exceptions, the most controversial of which is a proposal to allow limited format-shifting.
L’industrie perd confiance en l’OMPI – débats autour du contentieux États-Unis/Chine à l’OMC 03/04/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Liza Porteus Viana pour Intellectual Property Watch NEW YORK – L’Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI) semble être en plein tumulte. En effet, cette dernière est actuellement en quête d’un nouveau Directeur général et se débat avec les questions de la mise en application de son Programme pour le développement et de l’harmonisation des […]
India Cancer Patients Seek To Use Courts For Access To Patented Drugs 03/04/2008 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch One of the most vocal voices for the interests of cancer patients in India says it will use the courts to force the Indian government to declare cancer a national emergency, in an attempt to make cancer drugs affordable to sufferers. The Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) wants […]
La industria pierde fe en la OMPI y debate los casos presentados por Estados Unidos contra China en la OMC 03/04/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Liza Porteus Viana para Intellectual Property Watch Nueva York – Pareciera que este último tiempo la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI) vive momentos de incertidumbre. Por un lado, la OMPI busca su nuevo director general y, por el otro, trata de resolver, entre otras cuestiones, la aplicación de un Programa para el […]
Office Open XML Officially Approved As International Standard 01/04/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 16 Comments By Kaitlin Mara The much-debated open document standard Office Open XML (OOXML) has been approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), according to a document obtained by Intellectual Property Watch. The result of the voting showed 24 supporting votes by participating national standards bodies allowed to vote, known as “p-members,” versus eight opposing votes. […]
New National-Level Programmes Echo WIPO Patent Treaty 01/04/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch NEW YORK – The Japanese Patent Office in April will introduce a new policy called JP-First, which aims to release patent examination results of applications first filed with the JPO to major patent offices throughout the world, including in some developing countries. The initiative and others could be steps toward allowing patent filers to bypass an established international treaty on patents, sources said. Also at the event, government officials and academics also discussed copyright developments in Canada. US experts argued that Canada is not doing its part to crack down on piracy, while the Canadians said they are actually setting the bar in some areas in terms of protecting copyrighted works.
WIPO Members Agree On Budget As DG Election Picks Up; Idris Gets Personal 01/04/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New The member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organization on Monday reached agreement on the delayed organisation budget for 2008-2009, as election campaigns for the next WIPO director general went into full swing. The budget was approved after agreement on a five percent reduction in fees charged by WIPO to process patent […]