UN Events Map Efforts To Narrow Digital Divide, Increase Information Access 16/05/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Nearly three weeks of meetings of governments, civil society organisations, trade groups, and intergovernmental bodies will report on how far nations have come towards bridging the so-called “digital divide” between those who have access to information technology and all of its attendant benefits, and those whom the digital revolution is passing by. […]
Bush Administration Presses On For Patent Reform Bill This Year 16/05/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch Despite an apparent stalemate on patent reform in the United States Congress, the Bush administration is still pushing for a bill to be completed this congressional session. Speaking in California’s Silicon Valley this week, US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez acknowledged that talks over S 1145, the Patent […]
IP Rights Arise In UN Debate On The Right To Participate In Cultural Life 15/05/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Intellectual property rights came into play in a recent discussion on the right of all humans to take part in cultural life organised by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). The right to take part in cultural life is an accepted fundamental human right, mentioned in several […]
High US Court Reconsiders Policy Of Patenting Business Methods 15/05/2008 by Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – The chief US appeals court that rules on patent disputes has squarely reconsidered whether the United States’ 1998 decision to allow greater berth for business method patents was the right intellectual property policy. Adding heft to the position of changing course on business method patents was the US Patent and Trademark Office, which challenged a patent application on a method for financial hedging by inventors Bernard Bilski and Rand Warsaw. The USPTO urged the court to reject the patent as ineligible subject matter. It offered a standard for invalidating the patent that demonstrated a dramatic change of course for the US government over the past 10 years.
Suspensión de obligaciones en virtud del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC: una nueva alternativa de retorsión de la OMC 15/05/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Catherine Saez Cuando un país infringe las normas de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC), la retorsión contra dicho país mediante la imposición de sanciones a sus actividades en un sector comercial no relacionado puede ser una opción más eficaz para los países en desarrollo que una retorsión aplicada dentro del sector de la […]
EU Internal Market Chief: Counterfeiting and Piracy Need Industry-Led Solutions 14/05/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch The European Commission wants practical, pragmatic suggestions for fighting the “modern-day highway robbery” known as piracy and counterfeiting, Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said at a 13 May commission-sponsored high level conference on the issues. McCreevy stressed that more regulation is not the answer, and that solutions lie […]
European Patent Forum Weighs Usefulness Of IP System For Climate Change 14/05/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara This year’s European Patent Forum concluded with a clear consensus on the importance of addressing the problem of climate change but with no clear way forward on how the intellectual property system might help. But leading figures at the forum suggested that more innovation and significant improvements in the IP system might […]
Francis Gurry Of Australia Wins Nomination To Be Next WIPO Director General 13/05/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments By one vote, Francis Gurry of Australia tonight won a hard-fought election to be the next director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Third Round Of Formal Voting Leaves Graça-Aranha Versus Gurry 13/05/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Candidate Votes Francis Gurry (Australia) 35 José Graça Aranha (Brazil) 29 Masood Khan (Pakistan) 19 The final vote is expected this evening.
WIPO Director General Election: Field Dramatically Drops To Three Candidates 13/05/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The field of candidates vying to be the next director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization dramatically plummeted from the original 15 candidates to three frontrunners on the first day. The race is now between Francis Gurry of Australia, José Graça Aranha of Brazil, and Masood Khan of Pakistan. The drastic […]