Still A Long Way To Go For Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement 08/09/2011 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiated last year will be open for signature for two years, until the first of May 2013. But while this looks like a long time, it likely will be needed by the 37 negotiating governments (including the United States, Japan, South Korea and the 27 European Union members) to iron out problems on their way to implementing what some rights owners welcomed as a possible new “gold standard” for the enforcement of intellectual property rights.
IFRRO: Collective Management For Orphan Works 08/09/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) has submitted comments on the proposed European Union directive on orphan works, which aims to increase legal certainty for use of creative works whose copyright holders cannot be found. The group, which represents collective management organisations, authors and publishers, called for collective management and licensing for orphan works.
UK Copyright Modernisation Effort Picks Up Steam 31/08/2011 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Efforts to modernise Britain’s creaking copyright regime sped up over the summer as the government accepted recommendations for major changes to the system, Parliament opened an inquiry into the matter, and the Intellectual Property Office said updating the rules could significantly boost the UK economy.
EPIP Brussels Event Looks At Current Issues In IP Policy 24/08/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual conference of the European Policy for Intellectual Property Association on 8-9 September in Brussels will bring together leading figures in the international IP community to look at contemporary issues in IP policy.
EU-India Agreement In WTO Dispute Raises Bar For EU Drug Seizures 30/07/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment India and the European Union announced a written agreement yesterday that puts more conditions on EU customs authorities before they can stop shipments of generic pharmaceuticals passing through Europe. No longer is the existence of an EU patent on passing generics sufficient cause to stop shipments. The agreement suspends a World Trade Organization dispute started by India last year.
Parliament Study: ACTA Not Fully In Line With EU Rules 20/07/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) under negotiation by a group of countries including those in the European Union is more ambitious than current EU law and risks problems for access to medicines, concluded a recent study commissioned by the European Parliament Committee on International Trade. But the study stops short of calling for a flat rejection of the agreement.
EU Announces €7B For Innovation, R&D 20/07/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission yesterday announced the availability of nearly €7 billion euros (nearly US$10 billion) to boost innovation, its biggest grant ever for research and development. The move is predicted to create 174,000 jobs in the short-term and some 450,000 jobs and €80 billion in economic growth over the next 15 years.
EU Commission Reports On IPR-Infringing Goods Detained By Customs 14/07/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission today presented its annual report on customs activities related to intellectual property rights (IPR) infringing goods, finding sharp increases in some areas and leading to calls for new enforcement measures.
UN Body Addresses Problems With IP Rights Within Europe 08/07/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is holding a two-day meeting to increase awareness of intellectual property rights throughout the region.
CERN Issues Open Hardware Licence For Electronic Designs 07/07/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Organisaton for Nuclear Research (CERN) today issued an open hardware licence for electronic designs, following its principle of “open science.”