Singapore Builds Patent Capacity Ahead Of New System 17/05/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The tiny island state of Singapore has begun to ramp up its capacity for patent search and examination ahead of a bold move to adopt a new patent system, one of the proposed major amendments to its Patents Act. The Southeast Asian economic high-flyer is pressing for changes to its laws to position itself as an Asian hub for intellectual property.
Amid “Korean Wave,” South Korea Opens IP Office In The Philippines 14/05/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Republic of Korea has opened its fourth satellite copyright office, in the Philippines, in a bid to protect its copyrighted works amid the popularity of Korean entertainment in this Southeast Asian nation.
EU Court Of Justice Upholds Limits Of Copyright On Software 14/05/2012 by Nancy Situ for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Court of Justice recently reaffirmed the limits of copyright protection in computer software.
Swiss Government Postpones ACTA Signature 10/05/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Switzerland has postponed signature of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) until it has more information from several ongoing processes in Europe, the government said yesterday.
Call For Transparency In The Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiation 10/05/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In this post, three US law professors explain a recent call by over 30 legal scholars for the US Trade Representative to increase transparency for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement intellectual property chapter, and their response to Ambassador Kirk’s response that he is “strongly offended” by the suggestion that the negotiation is not adequately transparent already.
INTA: Corporate Call To Action On New Domains, Social Media, Counterfeiting 08/05/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Washington, DC – Corporations need to become more involved in the battles being fought over the internet – from expanding top-level domain names, protecting brands on social media, to counterfeiting and internet security – or they are going to be left on the sidelines as policy is created both in the United States and elsewhere, speakers at the International Trademark Association (INTA) said yesterday.
German Ministry Advises Developing Countries Not To Sign ACTA 08/05/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) advises developing countries against signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, BMZ official Frank Schmiedchen said during a meeting of the Committee of Petitions of the German Parliament today.
WIPO, EPO Sign Patent Cooperation Agreement 03/05/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The heads of the World Intellectual Property Organization and the European Patent Office today signed a three-year agreement to mutually improve the procedural framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Viacom v. YouTube: Chipping Away At The DMCA 03/05/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment It was a major legal battle between copyright owners and online businesses. Then, on 5 April, online businesses won. Mostly. The US appellate court ruling in Viacom International, Inc. v. YouTube, Inc. basically upheld the legal protection that a key US statute grants to online firms. However, the ruling also opened several holes in that protection.
Eben Moglen’s Warning: Beware Of Media Consuming You 02/05/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Eben Moglen, a professor of law and history at Columbia University, made a haunting appeal to participants of the 6th re:publica conference that opened in Berlin this morning: Do not to fail in completing the fight for freedom of thought.