America Invents Act Forges Ahead; Concerns Remain About First-To-File, Other Provisions 06/12/2011 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is charging full-steam ahead in implementing the American Invents Act (AIA), but some are warning that the trademark first-to-file provision and other elements may do more harm than good to the patent system.
US, China Hold High-Level Talks On IP Policy 21/11/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States and China made notable progress on a range of intellectual property policy issues in cabinet-level meetings ending today, according to the US government.
Filtering and Blocking Closer To The Core Of The Internet? 20/11/2011 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments With protests against draft US legislation like the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act ongoing and the European Parliament voting on 17 November for a resolution to request that the United States should be “refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names,” politicians are talking a lot about technology for the internet domain name system. But at the same time, engineers are getting more political and are intensively discussing technology providing the tools for blocking – by governments and private parties.
Barrage Of Doubts Voiced On US Internet Piracy Bill 16/11/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments An international outcry from open internet proponents has emerged over draft US legislation, HR 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), on the eve of a hearing on the bill. International critics say the bill would put the United States on the same ground as China with regards to internet filtering, undermining the US argument for internet freedom.
Post-Grant Oppositions Under US Patent Reform 14/11/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On September 16, 2012, the post-grant review process in the United States will change to closely resemble the opposition procedures in Europe even down to the same nine-month window after grant to oppose. With these new changes going into effect in less than a year, it is important for practitioners to use this time to become familiar with the new procedures and processes, writes Michael Siekman.
33 North American Institutions Sign Declaration On Open Access 13/11/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Thirty-three research institutions, associations and foundations in North America last week signed the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, committing to support open access research in the future. The signing brings the total signers to nearly 300, including many of the top research institutions in the world.
UNESCO Creates Fund For Budget Shortfall After US Withholds Dues 11/11/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has set up a fund for donations to support core activities after the United States withheld its dues equalling nearly a quarter of UNESCO’s budget. Already the agency has begun cutting programmes in developing countries, it said.
Less Copyright Liability Found To Boost Cloud Computing Investment 09/11/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A new study by a Harvard business professor has found that protection against copyright liability increased investment in the cutting-edge technology of cloud computing.
CBO: Generics Bill Would Save US $4.8 Billion 09/11/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The US Congressional Budget Office has estimated that a current bill to prevent brand-name pharmaceutical companies from paying generic producers to delay the release of generic drugs into the market could save the US budget some $4.8 billion over 10 years. The bill would treat “pay-for-delay” arrangements as illegal and would give the authority to […]
US Secretary Clinton: No Contradiction In Online Enforcement, Free Speech 05/11/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is undertaking to explain the apparent contradiction in the strong enforcement of intellectual property rights and efforts to ensure freedom of expression on the internet. And she said the State Department will keep saying it in the future.