EU Telecom Package Agreed With Safeguards But Three-Strikes Still Possible 10/11/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A compromise was found last week between the European Parliament and European Council on “internet access safeguards” in the last remaining open issue in the European Union telecommunications package, according to the Parliament. But public interest concerns remain that restrictive punishment measures might still be possible.
French HADOPI Law, Now Complete, Can Brandish Its Weapons 23/10/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The French Constitutional Council yesterday gave its ruling about the constitutionality of a French bill aiming to protect literary and artistic intellectual property rights online, and decided that the bill was in conformity with the French Constitution, asking only for a minor amendment, according to the Council ruling available here (in French). The legislation, nicknamed […]
European Union Prepares A New Intellectual Property Rights Strategy 15/10/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Intellectual property rights and their protection will be high on the agenda of the European institutions in the upcoming legislature, representatives from the European Commission, European Council and the European Parliament said at the first European Innovation Summit in Brussels yesterday. Stronger IP rights (IPR) protection was declared by representatives of all three institutions as indispensable to promote innovation and the knowledge society, while only a few voices were raised asking not to overreach in IPR regulation.
WTO Forum: Bypassing International Agreements May Hamper Medicines Access 11/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to medicines in developing countries may be put at risk by European customs regulations and more broadly by trade provisions in most free trade agreements between developed and developing countries, said speakers at the recent World Trade Organization Public Forum.
Council Of Europe Weighs Future; Drafts Counterfeit Medicines Convention 09/10/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Sixty years after its foundation, the Council of Europe is reconsidering its role and place in the architecture of European institutions. One new development is the drafting of a convention against medicines counterfeiting.
Iceland Panel: French ‘3-Strike’ Rule Spreading But Not Best Option 07/10/2009 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment COPENHAGEN – A panel discussing the copyright challenges posed by social media at a recent conference in Iceland concluded that while new and stricter regulations as proposed in France may not be a bad idea, the best solution is to provide consumers with quality services for which they are willing to pay. Meanwhile, there are new developments at the European level.
Second HADOPI Law Faces French Constitutionality Test 02/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Just days after the French Parliament adopted a bill aiming to protect literary and artistic intellectual property rights online on 25 September; the law is being challenged on constitutionality grounds.
US Acts To Preserve Internet Neutrality; European Debate Heats Up 24/09/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As the United States is moving to ensure that internet (net) neutrality is preserved in that country, some are hoping other regions of the world will take notice, particularly the European Union.
Candidates For EPO President On Campaign Trail At WIPO Conference 21/09/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A recent two-day conference of the World Intellectual Property Organization on IP infrastructure also served as a campaign platform of sorts for several candidates vying to be the next head of the European Patent Office in Munich starting in mid-2010.
EU Sets Out H1N1 Flu Strategy; Partners With Pharma On Medicines Development 20/09/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Several strategy papers laying out a plan to aid European Union member states in responding to the pandemic outbreak of H1N1 influenza were published last week by the European Commission, as Europe enters its fall flu season. Meanwhile, a partnership between the Commission and the European pharmaceutical industry announced a second call for proposals, aimed at increasing research and development of medicines for cancer as well as infectious disease.