Departed Indian Diplomat Confronted US Business Over India’s IP Policy 12/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Just weeks before being abruptly arrested and strip-searched in New York, a now-departed Indian diplomat took on the powerful US business lobby over India’s controversial approach to intellectual property.
Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2013: India, Marrakesh Treaty, Seed/Gene Patents, WIPO Election 09/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Looking back on 2013, the list of the most-viewed stories on the Intellectual Property Watch website shows that reporting on activities in India, especially related to patents and public health, continued to draw the most attention. Other top stories were the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright exceptions for blind readers, legal cases involving patents on seeds and on plant and human genes, the election for World Intellectual Property Organization director general, free-trade agreements (including the Wikileaks leak of the IP chapter of the Trans-Atlantic Partnership agreement), Russian copyrights, and 3D printing.
UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution On Privacy And Surveillance 08/01/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments On 18 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus Resolution A/RES/68/167, The right to privacy in the digital age (see page 139 of document A/68/456/Add.2). This Resolution was initially introduced by Brazil and Germany and was subsequently supported by other countries.
IPR Remains Among Top USTR Priorities For China In 2014 07/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The Office of the United States Trade Representative will again make intellectual property rights a top priority in trade relations with China in 2014, and will not hesitate to take actions such as to bring World Trade Organization dispute settlement cases as needed, USTR has said.
Academics, Authors Worldwide Start 2014 Strongly Against Surveillance 06/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments More than 250 academics from around the world have signed a declaration strongly calling for a stop to surveillance of citizens’ communications online by US and European authorities. And in December, more than 500 top authors joined a coalition called Writers against Mass Surveillance calling for international rules to curb wholesale surveillance.
Once More, US Supreme Court Will Review Software Patents 20/12/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments When it comes to software-related inventions, US patent law is a confused mess. So it was no surprise that, in early December, the United States Supreme Court announced it would weigh in on the matter. The court granted certiorari in Alice Corporation v. CLS Bank in order to decide when software-related inventions are patentable subject matter. But given the complicated technology and the high court’s confusing precedents in this area, many experts fear that the ruling in Alice will bring little clarity to this area of the law.
Report: Patents On Water Technology On The Rise 20/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments A new private-sector report shows that after a downturn, patents on a range of technologies for water are back on the rise as companies are busy innovating around a basic human need and resource.
US, China Agree On IPR Measures, Including Training Of Chinese Officials 20/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States and China today announced agreements on a series of measures to strengthen intellectual property rights protection in China.
Another Look At Patents And Standards 20/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The new National Academies report on patents and standards is a landmark effort to shed light on the tensions between patents and standards in information and communications technology. Brian Kahin critiques the report and examines underlying problems that the report sidesteps.
Special Report: US IP Attachés Report To US Industry On Activities Abroad 19/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) programme of strategically placed intellectual property lawyers in key locations abroad continues to grow. And the annual report of a lineup of these IP attachés this week at the US Chamber of Commerce showed they are having some success.