Government Anti-Piracy Measures Working, Music Industry Says 23/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Industry profits from digital music are on the rise as industry-owned music download services expand and gain acceptance, anti-piracy efforts take hold in some countries, and internet intermediaries join in, music industry representatives said today.
US Senate Postpones PIPA Vote; EU Commissioner Joined Opposition 20/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The new age of lobbying through online public engagement showed its effectiveness today as the Senate announced the postponement of next week’s vote on controversial anti-piracy legislation that led to unprecedented protests on the internet.
Year Ahead: Busy Copyright Schedule As Europe Seeks Economic Recovery 19/01/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With European hopes for economic recovery pinned in large part on a more vibrant digital single market, 2012 will likely see a flurry of intellectual property-related legislative activities. Much of it centres on copyright, but the year may also bring movement on a unified European patent and changes in trademark law.
EU Innovation Commissioner Presents Horizon 2020 18/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Union Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science today introduced the US policy community to Horizon 2020, the large-scale new multi-year research and innovation funding programme the EU is preparing to undertake.
Record Patent Filings At EPO 17/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Despite the economic situation, the European Patent Office saw record patent filings in 2011 and maintained its share globally, it reported today.
Danish EU Presidency Priorities Include Research, Innovation, IP Rights 16/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Among Denmark’s many priorities for its six-month presidency of the European Union which started this month are advancing intellectual property rights, international trade, research and innovation. IP issues include a unitary EU patent, trademark rules modernisation, and orphan works legislation.
Evidence Sought For UK Study On Digital Copyright Exchange 04/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A “call for evidence” has been issued for an independent feasibility study on developing a Digital Copyright Exchange in the United Kingdom. Members of the “creative industries” are being asked to respond to the assertion made in a preceding study by Professor Ian Hargreaves that the current copyright licensing system is not fit for the digital age, as well as definitions used by Hargreaves.
Most-Read IP-Watch Posts Of 2011 Tell Story Of International IP Policymaking 03/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of 2011 demonstrated the versatility and range of our readers from around the globe, from an intense focus on international and national copyright issues to bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements, to issues in India and Brazil, patent laws, patents in agriculture, scientific knowledge, and of course, policies emerging in Geneva at the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and elsewhere at the multilateral level. Most of all, they tell the story of the year gone by, with clear signals of what’s to come in 2012.
EU Patent Advances: Parliament Could Vote In February, Court Location Still Up In Air 22/12/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee approval this week of a single patent for participating European Union members sets the stage for a February plenary vote in Parliament. But members’ inability to agree on where to locate the new unified patent litigation court means the Polish presidency won’t get to see finalisation of the process that will now head into 2012 under the guidance of Denmark.
Last Parliament Standing: Europe Final Stronghold Of ACTA Critics 21/12/2011 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments With a recent decision by the Agriculture and Fishery Council of the European Union, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) seems to have made a big leap forward. And with recent breakthroughs in other countries, ACTA’s final hurdle may be in the European parliaments.