US Supreme Court Rules In Favour Of Monsanto In Patent Exhaustion Case 13/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The United States Supreme Court found today that a farmer who buys patented seeds may not reproduce them through planting and harvesting without the right holder’s permission. The case, known as Bowman v. Monsanto, revolved around patent exhaustion. The Supreme Court was to decide whether patent exhaustion applied to patented seeds after their authorised sale.
European Commission To Develop Global Internet Policy Platform 13/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission today announced plans for a Global Internet Policy Observatory (GIPO), an online platform to improve knowledge and participation on issues related to global internet policymaking.
South Africa To Launch National Traditional Knowledge Recording System 10/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments While diplomats are trying to find consensus on an international instrument to protect traditional knowledge at the World Intellectual Property Organization, some countries are establishing systems to protect their traditional knowledge domestically. South Africa will be launching on 24 May its National Recordal System to catalogue its indigenous knowledge.
US Senate Committee Evaluates US Cyber Threat Response Efforts 08/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Advanced cyber espionage tools are readily available for use by foreign governments and organised criminal groups to coordinate cyber attacks on US computer networks, a United States law enforcement official said today in a prepared statement to a congressional panel.
A Battle For Open Public Data In South Africa 08/05/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Cape Town, South Africa – Amid growing calls for the controversial Protection of State Information bill to be referred to the Constitutional Court of South Africa, open data activists are fighting a separate but related battle for government to release its data to the public.
Viewing Cached Copyrighted Content Isn’t Infringing, UK Supreme Court Says 07/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet users who merely read or view copyright-protected webpages enjoy a temporary copying exception under European Union and United Kingdom law and do not need permission from rights holders, the UK Supreme Court said in a 17 April ruling.
Joint Task Force Formed On Global Networked Media 07/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Three media standards bodies have formed a Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM) to define a strategy to develop a packet-based network infrastructure for the professional media industry.
Common Market For Eastern And Southern Africa (COMESA) Drafts IP Policy 07/05/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Cape Town, South Africa – The draft intellectual property policy of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has put IP rights at the centre of the region’s competitive growth strategy.
Petition Fights Proposal For Digital Rights Management In Internet Core 03/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Just days after the celebration of 20 years of an open WorldWideWeb, more than two dozen advocacy group are circulating a petition to prevent the World Wide Web Consortium from accepting a proposal to allow restrictive new copyright measures on the key technology for accessing the internet.
Shippers Becoming Anti-Counterfeiting Target; Europe Takes Other Measures 03/05/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Istanbul – Counterfeiters are using legitimate supply chains, and shipping companies are unknowingly allowing it and need to take steps to crack down, rights holders’ representatives said at a recent anti-counterfeiting conference. Meanwhile, Europe is undertaking a study of the benefits of IP-intensive industries, and new customs and protection measures.