Special Report: Licensing Of News Titles And Extracts – Newspapers’ Best And Last Bet? 25/09/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a bold and unprecedented move, the ruling coalition of Germany has come to the rescue of the beleaguered news publishing industry by pushing for the enactment of a related right to copyright that would ask commercial aggregators to pay publishers for their use of headlines and extracts of news articles.
Transparency – Still An Uphill Battle In The EU 21/09/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Better access for the European Parliament to classified documents will be realised by an inter-institutional agreement passed nearly unanimously by the members of the European Parliament last week at their recent Strasbourg session.
European Parliament Passes Orphan Works Directive 13/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 10 Comments The European Parliament today passed a “directive on certain permitted uses of orphan works” with 531 in favour versus 65 opposed (11 abstentions). The directive will be a good first step toward allowing the digitisation and making available to the public of older copyrighted works that are buried in the archives and libraries of the Union because no rights holder can be located, the lead rapporteur Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg (S&D) and many supportive MEPs said.
Revolving Door: US Copyright General Counsel Joins Music Industry 29/08/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Continuing the revolving door tradition between the United States government intellectual property and trade officials and the industries they represent, David Carson, general counsel of the US Copyright Office, will join the top international music industry association in September. Carson will assume a role of influencing policymakers in drafting legislation to protect and promote copyright. His is latest in a series of moves blurring US industry and government lines, and extending to the UN.
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.
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.
European Commission Seeks Public Input On Preservation Of The Open Internet 23/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Commission (EC) announced today that it would begin a period of public consultation on the subject of internet neutrality.
© 1912-2012. A Century of Dutch Copyright Law 22/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment International Copyright Conference, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, Amsterdam, 31 August 2012 – In 2012, the Dutch Copyright Act (the “Auteurswet”) will celebrate its centenary. The Act of 1912 is one of the world’s oldest “living” acts in the authors’ rights tradition.