Special Report: Will India Bend To US Pressure On IP Rights? 31/01/2015 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments It is no secret that the United States has been scaling up pressure on India to adopt intellectual property measures similar to those common in the United States and the European Union. But to what extent does India’s new government led by the business-friendly Narendra Modi see eye to eye with US official position? Can India, the “pharmacy of the world”, resolve the friction between pharmaceutical patents and access to affordable medicines without putting off foreign investors? The vitriolic and polarising debate surrounding these questions has got a fresh lease of life following US President Barack Obama’s landmark three-day visit to India this week. While Indian and American business moguls are bullish about the future, Indian generic drug-makers as well as health activists within and outside India are deeply anxious about the shape of things to come
Technical Investigators Have Rules To Follow In China’s Intellectual Property Courts 29/01/2015 by Mingjiang Liu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BEIJING – With the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou Intellectual Property Courts being put into operation late last year, the rules for technical investigators had been missing until 21 January, when the Supreme People’s Court released the Provisional Regulations of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues concerning the Participation of Technical Investigators in Intellectual Property Court Proceedings. This is China’s first of its kind making rules for technical investigators.
Looking Behind The Different Invalidation Rates Of Oppositions And IPRs 28/01/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Opposition proceedings in Europe have long served as a powerful tool for third parties to challenge the validity of a patent before the European Patent Office (EPO). Now, under the America Invents Act (effective September 2012), the United States (US) has two new procedures for challenging the validity of a patent before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review. Current statistics indicate a higher invalidation rate for IPRs as compared to EPO oppositions.
The Challenge Of Complying (Or Not) With Communication Laws Online 28/01/2015 by James Cote for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Is it possible to fully comply with all the laws surrounding online communication? Michel Jaccard, founder of id est avocats says, “The answer is, ‘no.’” Speaking last week at the Club Suisse de la Presse, Jaccard made the case that when it comes to the online world, we should look beyond legal compliance and start thinking more strategically.
The Latest News In Intellectual Property From ANEPI Ecuador 24/01/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Welcome to (ANEPI), the first Intellectual Property News Agency of Ecuador. The Agencia de Noticias Especializada en Propiedad Intelectual (ANEPI) publishes news, analysis, interviews, feature articles, a weekly update and more on Ecuador and the region, at http://www.anepi.ec. Articles are primarily in Spanish with some English translation. Bienvenido a (ANEPI), La Primera Agencia de Noticias […]
The Copyright Manifesto: How The EU Should Support Innovation And Creativity Through Copyright Reform 22/01/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Teresa Hackett writes: “Copyright divide in numbers”, the graph on the first page of the newly launched ‘The Copyright Manifesto. How the European Union should Support Innovation and Creativity through Copyright Reform’ tells a story. In an illustration of the results of the European Union’s (EU) 2014 consultation on copyright, publishers, authors and collective management organizations express strong support for the current system, while end users and institutional users (such as libraries) are strongly in favour of copyright reform. So if copyright is supposed to benefit everyone, the copyright system sure isn’t working for everyone.
Uganda: International Standard Book Number Helps Authors, Readers Identify Publications 21/01/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The publishing industry in Uganda is a fast-rising sector, gauging by the many emerging publishing houses and self-publishers. With many titles on display, one of the ways authors and readers identify published works is the use of International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Year Ahead: Big IP Developments Loom For US Law In 2015 21/01/2015 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment 2014 brought major changes to the United States intellectual property system, particularly in the area of patent law. 2015 promises more of the same, as the new Supreme Court ruling in Teva Pharmaceuticals USA v. Sandoz attests. Here’s a discussion of Teva and other key cases and developments to watch this year.
Year Ahead: Copyright Reform, EPO Governance, Trade Secrets Among Top European IP Issues In 2015 19/01/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Review, and possibly reform, of the European Union copyright system tops the list of “hot” European intellectual property issues this year. The new European Commission has made modernising copyright rules a major priority, while fresh debate has broken out over the need for levies on digital copying devices to remunerate rights holders. Meanwhile ongoing unrest between European Patent Office (EPO) staff and management looks likely to continue, as do efforts to finalise the unitary European patent and Unified Patent Court. EU legislation to protect trade secrets could be adopted and trademark law updated. In addition, several important IP-related decisions are expected from the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The Latest News In Intellectual Property From ANEPI Ecuador 17/01/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Welcome to (ANEPI), the first Intellectual Property News Agency of Ecuador. The Agencia de Noticias Especializada en Propiedad Intelectual (ANEPI) publishes news, analysis, interviews, feature articles, a weekly update and more on Ecuador and the region, at http://www.anepi.ec. Articles are primarily in Spanish with some translation. Below is the list of the week’s stories on ANEPI, including in English: “Latin America, Patents, Innovation and Brands within the Intellectual Property System.” Bienvenido a (ANEPI), La Primera Agencia de Noticias de Propiedad Intelectual del Ecuador: Síguenos http://www.anepi.ec/ANEPIEcuador