USPTO Deputy Director’s Qualifications Backed; Lawsuit Could Return 20/12/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch It was a victory for the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), but it may be short-lived. On 7 December, a US federal court threw out a lawsuit that challenged Margaret Peterlin’s appointment as deputy director of the USPTO. Four inventors and patent attorneys had alleged that Peterlin […]
International Implications Of Red Cross Trademark Fight Unclear 20/12/2007 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Months after health products manufacturer Johnson & Johnson filed a civil complaint against the American Red Cross and its commercial licensees to stop using the symbol of a red cross, the public interest it generated seems to have all but subsided. However, questions about the possible consequences of this lawsuit at the international level remain unanswered. After roughly 100 years of sharing the symbol, the two entities are now fighting over it. The lawsuit filed by US-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J) against the American Red Cross (ARC) and four of its licensing partners on 8 August focused mainly on preventing the ARC and its licensing partners from using the red cross design on commercial products such as first aid kits to prevent unfair competition. The American Red Cross has licensed sale of its kits in large-scale retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and major drug stores.
China, US Hold High-Level Discussions On IP Issues 17/12/2007 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch China and the United States last week held high-level discussions on a host of topics including intellectual property rights, reaching agreements to cooperate on IP rights protection, stopping counterfeit medicines and devices, reducing copying of patented biotechnology, and sharing innovation. The 18th US-China Joint Commission on China […]
Le Congrès américain veut renforcer la protection des droits d’auteur et augmenter la redevance des radios satellite 13/12/2007 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par Dugie Standeford pour Intellectual Property Watch Un projet de loi présenté la semaine dernière par un groupe bipartisan de représentants américains prévoit l’application de sanctions plus importantes en matière civile et pénale en cas de violation des droits d’auteur ou du droit des marques. Dans le même temps, le US Library of Congress Copyright […]
Legisladores de EEUU en busca de organismo encargado de la observancia de las normas de PI 12/12/2007 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Dugie Standeford para Intellectual Property Watch Un grupo bipartidista de legisladores estadounidenses solicita sanciones civiles y penales más severas para la violación de los derechos de autor y marcas registradas mediante un nuevo proyecto de ley presentado la semana pasada. Por otro lado, la Junta de Regalías por Derechos de Autor (CRB) de la […]
US Lawmakers Seek IP Enforcement Agency; Satellite Radio Royalties Set 10/12/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A bipartisan group of US legislators is calling for tougher civil and criminal penalties for copyright and trademark infringement through new legislation introduced last week. Meanwhile, the US Library of Congress Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has set royalties for satellite radio services, as webcast radio companies lobbied for rate parity. The “Prioritising Resources and Organisation for Intellectual Property Act of 2007 (PRO IP),” introduced 5 December, would create an IP enforcement czar, establish a new IP division in the Department of Justice, and authorise the appointment of IP officers to help foreign countries combat piracy and counterfeiting.
Verizon Executive Discusses Telecom’s Move To Open Access 10/12/2007 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch NEW YORK – Verizon Wireless, in a surprise move for a company known to fiercely protect its network from outside use, announced on 27 November that it would adopt an “open-access” policy for the use of its wireless services. This means that third-party devices, including Google’s still in-development mobile-phone operating system Android, will be able to use the Verizon network, and opens the way for a global expansion for the telecommunications company. Speaking at investment bank UBS’s Annual Global Media Conference in New York on 5 December, Verizon President and Chief Operating Officer Denny Strigl explained the choice.
Film Industry Touts ISP Partners In Filtering Online Content 05/12/2007 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch NEW YORK – Internet service providers are going to lead the monitoring of networks to ensure they are not being used for infringing purposes in the entertainment industry’s seemingly endless battle to maintain control over where their content is distributed, and to whom, Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Dan Glickman said Tuesday. Glickman, speaking at the 35th Annual UBS Global Media & Communications Conference on 5 December, said his organisation – which represents the motion picture, home video and television industries – is working with telephone, cable and Internet companies, most notably AT&T, to ensure their networks are not being used to illegally share or download content. The relationship is somewhat ironic given the entertainment industry’s rocky history with the ISP community and its previous efforts to force telecommunications companies like Verizon to reveal the identities of customers who infringe copyrights on peer-to-peer filing systems.
WTO Panel On Chinese Content Distribution Delayed 24/11/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The formation of a World Trade Organization panel requested by the United States on China’s distribution of American copyrighted material was delayed this week after a procedural move on an unrelated matter. The US panel request was to be considered by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body on 19 November, but the agenda […]
Internet Governance Forum: Test Of A New Global Governance Model 14/11/2007 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – The debate over whether the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) should grow beyond its no-decisions, dialogue-only capacity was under consideration from the opening of the meeting here Monday. While a majority of participants from the various stakeholder groups at the meeting agree with the mandate, […]