Trade Agreements Making Rules In New Technologies, Territoriality An Issue For IP In Digital Age 11/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments As new technologies have pervaded society, with more to come, policymaking has become a difficult exercise. Rules established before those game-changing technologies might be outdated. A session at the World Trade Organization Public Forum last week looked at how intellectual property rules are faring in the time of digital technologies. Speakers remarked on the role of regional trade agreements in norm-setting, and the growing issue of the territoriality of rights for copyright.
EPO Names Three New Vice-Presidents, From UK, Germany, Austria 11/10/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office today announced the appointment of three new vice-presidents, related to patent granting, legal and international affairs, and corporate services. The appointees come from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Austria.
IP Rights Increasingly Traded In New Digital Age, WTO Panel, Report Say 11/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The digital revolution has transformed the way trade is taking place. The share of goods like CDs, books and newspaper is dropping in terms of global trade volume, pushed down by digital goods. In that context, intellectual property rights are also increasingly traded, in particular IP licences, in what a World Trade Organization official defined as a major phenomenon. While the United States is the leader in the digital market, China took pole position in video games in 2017.
EU Updates Customs Action Plan To Fight Growing IPR Infringements 10/10/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Concerned by the ever-increasing influx of counterfeit and pirated goods into Europe, European Union member states on 9 October backed a new customs action plan for 2018-2022. The first step will be a roadmap for implementation from the European Commission (EC) by next spring.
WIPO’s Coordination Committee Seats And The Election For Next Director General 10/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Developing country members are asking to have more representation in the World Intellectual Property Organization governing bodies, and the issue is taking on increased importance as one of the committees will play a key role in the election of the next WIPO director general in 2020.
Broadcasters Eager For Global Signal Protection; Others Warn Of Major Players Sneaking In 09/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The so-called broadcasting treaty being negotiated at the World Intellectual Property Organization is supported by broadcasters’ organisations in the hope that it will stanch signal piracy. Some voices however, warn about creating a right that might be captured by large internet corporations such as Facebook, Google and Netflix, which can be a stone’s throw away from acquiring radio or television channels to qualify for the protection of the potential treaty. They also challenge the duration and scope of the protection. A seminar gathering stakeholders last week looked at implications of the treaty.
WIPO Broadcasting Treaty Unfit For Needs, Might Jeopardize Access To Culture, Scholar Says 08/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organisation delegates have been negotiating a treaty aimed at protecting broadcasting organisations against signal piracy without success for the last two decades but has started to show signs of movement at the UN agency. A seminar held by a civil society group last week explored the potential implications of such a treaty on access to culture. At the event, a well-known copyright specialist argued that the current draft treaty being discussed, intended to update a 1961 treaty, does not take into consideration changes that took place since then, and in particular the transformation of broadcasting in the digital age.
New Copyright Exceptions Treaty Proposed By Civil Society; Seeking Country Support 08/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiations on possible exceptions to copyright for specific actors such as libraries, archives, universities and research institutions at the World Intellectual Property Organization have been stalling for years. Last week, a group of civil society organisations published a proposed draft treaty text for copyright exceptions for educational and research activities. Now they are seeking support from WIPO members to shoulder the text.
US High Court To Confront Unique Copyright Issue 05/10/2018 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The US Supreme Court often decides momentous cases. And then there’s Fourth Estate Pub. Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com. Many experts view this case as little more than a tempest in a teapot. However, the suit will resolve a legal dispute that has simmered for over 30 years, and it highlights some important copyright issues that are unique to the US.
The Global Multilateral Benefit-Sharing Mechanism: Where Will Be The Bretton Woods Of The 21st Century? 05/10/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Joseph Henry Vogel writes: Bretton Woods is the name of a place and also of a system. Bretton Woods-the-place boasts the Mount Washington Hotel and majestic views of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Bretton Woods-the-system is the set of financial rules drafted during an international conference held at the hotel from 1 to 22 July 1944 [1]. The system created monetary order and allowed postwar recovery. For economists, Bretton Woods signifies the system. Its success illustrates how economic thinking can penetrate the political sphere and make lasting change. John Maynard Keynes, the Darwin of economics, led the British delegation.