US Announces $2.4M In Local Grants To Combat IP Theft 04/10/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States government has announced the release of more than $2.4 million in grants to 13 US jurisdictions for stronger enforcement of intellectual property rights.
CERN: Free Access To Scientific Journals In Physics In 2014 03/10/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Geneva-based European Organization for Nuclear Physics (CERN) has collaborated with funding agencies and libraries of 29 countries to make freely available access to otherwise expensive scientific articles in the field of particle physics.
Industry Analysis: Print Sales Still In Decline; New Copyright Law Not A Solution 28/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new industry analysis highlights the continued decline in print advertising revenues, but offers a glimpse of possibilities for the recovery of the industry in light of the various technology-driven changes and developments in the global media market. New laws or new exceptions to copyright laws, however, are not seen as ways to save the print industry, at least in Europe, according to the report.
Latest Draft Of European Patent Court Agreement Released 28/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new draft of the agreement on creation of a European Patent Court has been issued by the Council of the European Union. The latest version shows the changes agreed earlier this year, including to locate the central office in Paris with divisions in London and Munich.
Move Toward New Pan-African IP Organisation Alarms Observers 27/09/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A seemingly remote African Union proposal to create a Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization appears to have gained momentum and will come before African science and technology ministers for review in early November, according to sources. A copy of the final draft statutes shows how the new body would operate, and for some observers, how it would elevate African IP standards well above current levels, with “disastrous consequences” for access, development, and human rights.
IP And The White House: What Happens With IP Issues After The US Presidential Election? 27/09/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What would a Mitt Romney White House mean for intellectual property and open internet, and just how would a Vice President Paul Ryan affect those policies? Would a new Republican administration replacing the current Democratic administration mean a new approach to IP? Here is Intellectual Property Watch’s comparison of what IP-related policies may look like under Obama and Romney.
Google’s Neutrality Stance Tested Yet Again In Brazil 27/09/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The arrest of the president of Google’s operations in Brazil is the latest in a string of court decisions to test the neutrality stance of the search giant. Since its beginnings, Google has seen itself as an internet middleman, insisting that it should not be held legally liable for any defamatory or infringing content posted by its users.
Agricultural Innovation Needed In Africa, With Farmers’ Participation, WTO Panellists Say 26/09/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Farmers’ needs are not addressed by the current intellectual property framework or by innovation, according to panellists at the World Trade Organization Public Forum this week, and farmers should be invited to participate in international negotiations directly impacting their livelihood. Meanwhile, the African continent is seeking a way to address the food security problem, faced with a growing population and dire need to modernise their agriculture, other panellists said.
European Creators Insist Private Copying Levy Still Relevant 25/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Trade associations representing creators, performers and producers of literary works in Europe have reiterated in a joint declaration issued today that manufacturers of copying devices should continue paying for copyright levies amid efforts to abolish the controversial remuneration model.
Special Report: Licensing Of News Titles And Extracts – Newspapers’ Best And Last Bet? 25/09/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a bold and unprecedented move, the ruling coalition of Germany has come to the rescue of the beleaguered news publishing industry by pushing for the enactment of a related right to copyright that would ask commercial aggregators to pay publishers for their use of headlines and extracts of news articles.