Year Ahead: Range Of IP Policy Issues May See Action In United States In 2010 21/01/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the United States Congress attempting to wrap up healthcare – a move made more difficult after a Republican won a traditionally Democratic US Senate seat in January – issues such as tax increases for the nation’s largest financial institutions, energy reform and others may take centre stage. But that’s not to say there is not some room for intellectual property issues to be considered. Upcoming issues may include patent reform, biologic drugs, internet neutrality, enforcement, and performance rights.
Year Ahead: Stronger Protection, Harmonisation Among Goals For Trademarks And GIs In 2010 21/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Enforcement of rights and a global harmonisation of systems look to be among the focal points of trademark and geographical indications policy in 2010. Significant activity will occur in these areas in Europe. But whether it is the setting up of a database for trademark registration, amendments to the Lisbon Treaty on the Protection of Appellation of Origin, or the evaluation of the European trademark system, efforts to improve current tools are showing at national and international levels.
United States Moves To Promote Internet Freedom, ‘Knowledge Commons’ 20/01/2010 by Sharon McLoone for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States is working to become a master at empowering its residents and others through networked technology while it navigates the murky areas of international policy and law.
WTO Adopts Appellate Body Report On US-China Film Distribution Dispute 19/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment China is expected to implement changes that will allow foreign distributors to import audiovisual entertainment products in China without trade being narrowed by state-owned channels after it lost its dispute case against the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The recommendations of the dispute settlement panel and the Appellate Body were adopted today by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
IP System Soul-Searching In Face Of Success, System Overload 19/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The intellectual property system seems to be tight at the seams with a global overload of work for national IP offices and a backlog in patent requests. Further international cooperation and some adjustments are necessary to keep an efficient high quality IP system, according to speakers at a private-sector meeting in Geneva on 14-15 January.
Internet Governance 2010: Future Of The IGF, Competition Among Institutions 15/01/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The future design of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the role of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in internet governance and the ability of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to resolve issues from new generic top-level domains to further internationalisation – these are the top policy issues in internet governance in 2010 and they are all linked to the question about how many governments and how much “multi-stakeholderism“ effective internet governance needs.
Les États-Unis examinent l’utilisation du droit d’auteur comme obstacle aux importations du marché gris 13/01/2010 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Il s’agit d’une utilisation peu conventionnelle de la loi sur le droit d’auteur, mais si Omega SA gagne son procès devant la Cour suprême des États-Unis, le célèbre horloger suisse aura conçu une nouvelle arme puissante contre l’importation de produits du marché gris sur le sol américain.
Year Ahead: Five Key IP Cases To Watch In The United States In 2010 11/01/2010 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment 2010 could be a big year for intellectual property law in the United States. Five cases now working their way through the courts may bring major changes to the country’s patent and copyright laws, affect hundreds billions of dollars in commerce, and enable a revolutionary new use for the internet.
US Weighs Copyright As Barrier To Grey Market Imports 23/12/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments It’s an unconventional use of copyright law. But if Omega SA wins its case before the US Supreme Court, the famous Swiss watch company will have established a powerful new weapon against grey market goods in that country.
Copyright Law Reform in Brazil — Anteprojeto or Anti-project? 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 13 Comments A balancing of the rights of authors and consumers, the re-introduction of a private copying exception, a remixing permission and a new regulatory agency for copyright issues are among the core points the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has planned for the new copyright law. But at the Third Conference on Copyright and the Public Interest in São Paulo a month ago, the Ministry emphasised that the bits and pieces shown to the audience were not from an actual law draft (“anteprojeto”) but only a preliminary proposal for formulating such a draft. The bill still has not been published to date. The delay in releasing the bill for public consultation now threatens the work of more than two years on the reform.