WHO Hopes For “Domino Effect” Of Australian Ruling In Favour Of Tobacco Plain Packaging 15/08/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The director of the World Health Organization, the global public health body, today vigorously applauded the ruling by Australia’s high court upholding the Australian government’s upcoming ban on trademarked labels on tobacco packages. The case pits international trade interests against public health interests, and the WHO said it hopes today’s ruling will have a “domino effect” for many other countries considering such bans.
A Look At India’s Key Pharmaceutical Patent Case 07/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This month, the Indian Supreme Court will hear final arguments in a challenge by the pharmaceutical company Novartis against the Indian Patent Office’s rejection of a patent for the leukemia drug, Glivec. The Court’s ruling will have profound implications for pharmaceutical patenting in India, and more generally how countries with newly introduced pharmaceutical patent regimes […]
Form Over Function – The ECJ Rules On Software Copyright 06/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Seldom does a fact bear repeating as frequently as the maxim, “There is no copyright in ideas”. And despite the regularity with which this fundamental principle of copyright law is cited, its application remains a bone of contention, Cobus Jooste writes.
Divergent Approaches To Copyright Reform Emerge In Europe 03/08/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Two very different views of copyright reform emerged this week, one from a report commissioned by the UK government, the other from a French citizens’ advocacy group. The former envisions an intricately linked system of digital rights exchanges and databases to streamline copyright licensing, the latter broad, “non-market” sharing of protected works between individuals, among other things. Whether either approach is feasible remains to be seen, and, as always, the devil’s in the details, lawyers say.
In The Spirit Of Fair Play: A Primer On IP And The Olympics 02/08/2012 by Daria Kim for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Mapping out intellectual property issues related to the Olympic Games may itself constitute an engaging exercise: trademark and design protection of the Olympic indicia; data protection of Games results; personality and publicity rights associated with sports celebrities; character rights subsisting in the Olympic mascots; unfair competition law and other legislative means to address ambush marketing and secure the interests of the Games’ exclusive sponsors. The latter appears essential for the purpose of securing the means for staging the Games and sustaining the Olympic Movement.
US Industry IP Campaign Aims To Dispel Misconceptions About Commercial Interests 31/07/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Intellectual property promotion is at the heart of a new campaign launched yesterday by the United States Chamber of Commerce with the aim of convincing decision-makers and the public at large of the value of IP in economic and social terms, and dissipate some misconceptions.
Global Pharma Calls On ICANN To Act Against Online Counterfeits 28/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The international pharmaceutical industry this week released a policy statement targeting counterfeit medicines on the internet. Among the recommendations was for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to join the fight.
Innovation And The Law: Some Lessons From The Patent Wars 27/07/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments They’ve been at each other’s throats for three years, and there’s no end in sight. Over two dozen businesses involved with smartphones and tablet computers are suing one another for patent infringement in numerous lawsuits around the world. These patent wars have cost the companies billions of dollars, clogged the courts, and prevented consumers from buying some devices they want with features they prefer. Is this really the best way to promote innovation and competition?
Next WTO Ministerial To Be Held In Bali In December 2013 27/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization will hold its next ministerial level meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in the first week of December 2013, it announced today.
WIPO Still On Course For Instruments On Copyright Exceptions, Broadcasting 26/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization late last night reached agreement on a timeline for completing treaties – or instruments – on a range of copyright exceptions, including the possibility of a high-level negotiation for visually impaired and blind readers in 2013.