Former Munich Mayor Warns Against Negative Effects Of City’s Re-Migration To Microsoft 12/06/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The former mayor of Munich, Christian Ude (Social Democratic Party), clashed with the new head of IT of the Bavarian capital over the city’s re-migration from Linux to Microsoft at an event organised by the Green Party yesterday.
Legislation For South Africa’s New IP Policy Likely After Elections Next Year 11/06/2018 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Legislative changes giving effect to South Africa’s recently published Intellectual Property Policy “Phase 1” will not take place during this term of government, the country’s trade minister has said. Meanwhile, a side-by-side comparison with the 2017 draft legislation shows a series of changes in the final policy, and the pharmaceutical industry is complaining but appears determined to continue investing in the country.
US Section 301, China, And Technology Transfer: Law And Its Limitations Revisited (Again) 07/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Frederick Abbott writes: On 20 May 2018, US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced that the US and China were “putting the trade war on hold” while the two countries seek to “execute the framework” of a broad agreement intended to reduce the US trade deficit in goods with China. According to the joint statement issued on 19 May 2018, “Both sides attach paramount importance to intellectual property protections, and agreed to strengthen cooperation. China will advance relevant amendments to its laws and regulations in this area, including the Patent Law.”
EUIPO Study Looks At State Of IPR Infringement In The EU 06/06/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A report published today by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) deplores rising volume of intellectual property rights infringement in both immaterial goods and digital content and warns against the economic effects for the Union.
Artificial Intelligence Applied: ‘Alex’ May Respond To Trademark Filers’ Facial Expressions 05/06/2018 by Gaensly Joseph for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new “virtual assistant” used by the Australian Intellectual Property Office may be able in the future to read the facial expressions of trademark filers and provide them with solutions – with empathy.
In Defense Of Fair Use 04/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Copyright law, to be sustainable, calls for a balance. Under copyright law, creators receive exclusive rights to allow or prevent others from making copies of their works for a limited time as an incentive to create. Users receive benefits from the results of the creator’s labor, perhaps through watching, reading or listening to those results. Users may also benefit pursuant to a license to use the works in other ways. Eventually the works fall into the public domain, allowing further reuse by everyone. Recent litigation involving a graffiti artist and a purveyor of sportswear shows how sometimes a flexible mechanism for balancing the copyright entitlements of creators and users makes sense, writes Roy Kaufman.
European Patent Office Discusses Patenting Artificial Intelligence 01/06/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment MUNICH — United States and Chinese patent practitioners this week called for considerations to change patent legislation and allow patenting algorithms in the future. They spoke at a 30 May conference of the European Patent Office in Munich on “Patenting Artificial Intelligence.”
New South African IP Policy Text Now Available 31/05/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The new Intellectual Property Policy of South Africa has now been posted to a government website.
‘Every Great Science Discovery, Invention, Is The Stuff Of Dreams, Not The Stuff Of Reason’: Interview With David Hanson Of Hanson Robotics 29/05/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Sophia, the well-known human-like robot who acquired citizenship in Saudi Arabia, was at the Artificial Intelligence for Good Global Summit which took place earlier this month in Geneva. Her creator, David Hanson, also CEO and founder of Hanson Robotics, gave an interview to Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez and explained his philosophy about intellectual property, the needed spark of interest in human-like robots, data collection, and innovation. Hanson is also lead designer and inventor of key technologies including Frubber nanotech, facial expressions and AI software. He is former Walt Disney Imagineering designer, and recipient of numerous awards. A video interview about Sophia is embedded in this text.
South Africa Approves New IP Policy, With Guidance From UN Agencies 27/05/2018 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments It took nine years of policy development, two different draft policies and various rounds of public consultation, to finally see Cabinet give the nod to the new Intellectual Property (IP) policy in South Africa.