Infojustice: Trans-Pacific Partnership IP Chapter Stalled 20/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Infojustice.org reports from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Lima, Peru that the intellectual property chapter shows no sign of resolution and the end of the TPP talks in 2013 is now highly unlikely.
WIPO Development Committee Ends On Positive Note With Modest Results 18/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments After a week which many World Intellectual Property Organization delegates working on development issues found difficult, a degree of consensus appeared in the last hour late on 17 May. Developing countries’ requests were substantially scaled down as discussions on several areas threatened to be bogged down indefinitely.
World Telecom Policy Forum Agrees On Six Opinions 17/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment While controversies over the role of governments in internet governance could not be avoided at the World Telecom Policy Forum this week, six prepared opinions were all passed with only minor changes. But a Brazilian proposal to “operationalize the role of governments in the multistakeholder framework of internet governance,” discussed at some length during the concluding day of the forum, did not find consensus.
IPR Lists For Trans-Atlantic Trade Deal Still Growing; Risk Of Locking In Old IPR Regimes? 15/05/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Locking in Europe and the United States to “old” intellectual property regimes is the one “killer argument” against including an IP chapter in the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), according to Bernd Hugenholtz, director of the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the University of Brussels. Hugenholtz spoke at a workshop on “What Role for Intellectual Property Rights in the TTIP?,” organised by Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Group. Questions also were raised during the meeting about the lack of transparency of free trade negotiations.
Industry Report Calls For Fight Against Counterfeits In Free Trade Zones 15/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report released today by the International Chamber of Commerce Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) calls for increased regulation in free trade zones to stop the facilitation of counterfeiting and piracy in these areas.
Concerns Arise Over Implementation Of WIPO Development Agenda 14/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This week’s meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation committee on development started with a firm display of divergent positions by member states. Developing countries said that member states should be consulted on WIPO’s participation in international events to ensure that a balanced view on IP is reflected. Developed countries said they considered it as superfluous micro-management of the UN organisation.
WTO Makes It Official: Azevedo Takes Over 1 September 14/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Trade Organization General Council today gave final approval to the appointment of Brazilian Amb. Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo as the next director general of the WTO. He will take over from Pascal Lamy on 1 September for a four-year term.
World Telecom Policy Forum: Healing The Split Or Fueling A Telecom Policy “Cold War”? 14/05/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Governments, sector members of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and a number of civil society groups are gathering in Geneva for three days this week to talk internet politics at the 5th World Telecom Policy Forum (WTPF). The non-binding forum is the first opportunity to take the temperature of the international telecom politics community since the failed World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) last December. At the same time, it is seen by many as the stepping stone to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and therefore a platform to position oneself with regard to future internet-related public policy and the future role of states in the digital world.
European Commission To Develop Global Internet Policy Platform 13/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission today announced plans for a Global Internet Policy Observatory (GIPO), an online platform to improve knowledge and participation on issues related to global internet policymaking.
How Listing Ukraine As A Priority Foreign Country In Special 301 Violates WTO Agreements 13/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Prof. Sean Flynn asks whether US sanctions of Ukraine under the US Special 301 program violates World Trade Organization rules. He also asks whether the operation of watch lists threatening sanctions for intellectual property matters could be challenged under the WTO even prior to any sanction going into effect.