US Court Finds Open Source Licences Enforceable; Big Impact Seen On US Copyright Law 26/08/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch The ruling has no precedential value. Nevertheless, the recent decision in Jacobsen v. Katzer will have a major impact on US copyright law, according to IP experts. Jacobsen held that open source licences can be enforced under US copyright law. “It is first time that a US court of appeals has directly addressed issues about the enforceability of open source licences,” said Jim Thatcher, Of Counsel in the Seattle office of Woodcock Washburn. “There isn’t anywhere else for [US] courts to turn for guidance on this issue, so they will turn to this case and its logic for the enforceability of open source licensing terms.” “[T]rust me, this is huge,” Lawrence Lessig, a copyright expert at Stanford Law School, wrote in his online blog.
Traité ACTA : inquiétudes concernant le caractère secret des négociations 15/08/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Par Monika Ermert pour Intellectual Property Watch Des représentants des milieux industriels et gouvernementaux, ainsi que des experts dans le domaine du droit de la propriété intellectuelle se sont déclarés surpris par le secret qui entoure les négociations sur le Traité international de lutte contre la contrefaçon (ACTA). Ces négociations, qui pourraient déboucher sur l’adoption […]
ACTA: las negociaciones progresan “detrás del telón”; muchas preocupaciones 14/08/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Monika Ermert para Intellectual Property Watch Los representantes de la industria y del público y los especialistas en derecho de propiedad intelectual están desconcertados por el permanente secreto en el cual se están llevando a cabo las negociaciones sobre el propuesto Acuerdo Comercial contra la Falsificación (ACTA, por su sigla en inglés). Las negociaciones […]
Brazil Probes Pharmaceutical Industry For Building High-Cost Drug Demand 08/08/2008 by Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – An investigation was conducted recently by the civil police in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, against multinational pharmaceutical companies, in which the prosecution affirmed that laboratories pay lawyers to get patients the right to obtain high-cost medicines through the Brazilian health ministry. According to O […]
New US Voucher Prize System For Neglected Diseases Launches Amid Doubts 06/08/2008 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch As a novel prize system to encourage the development of treatments for diseases that disproportionately affect patients in developing countries launches in the United States next month, concerns are already being voiced as to whether it will provide the right incentives for desperately-needed drugs. Under system, drug developers […]
Renouvellement du mandat de la CNUCED et renforcement de la collaboration dans le domaine de la propriété intellectuelle 04/08/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par Catherine Saez Les questions liées à la propriété intellectuelle apparaissent comme un objectif clé des politiques mises en oeuvre par la Conférence des Nations Unies pour le commerce et le développement (CNUCED) au regard de la décision prise lors de la 12ème Conférence quadriennale, qui a eu lieu en avril, de renouveler son mandat […]
Aumentan las actividades de PI de la UNCTAD gracias al mandato renovado; mayor colaboración 04/08/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Catherine Saez Las cuestiones relacionadas con la propiedad intelectual (PI) parecen ser un claro enfoque de políticas de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD), ya que la 12.va conferencia cuatrienal de la UNCTAD celebrada en abril reconfirmó el mandato sobre PI; la organización fue nombrada por otros dos organismos […]
ACTA: Negotiations Advance ‘Behind The Curtain’; Many Concerns 02/08/2008 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Representatives of industry and the public as well as intellectual property law experts are puzzled by the ongoing secrecy under which negotiations on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) are being held. The ACTA negotiations, which could result in widely applicable escalated rules on piracy and counterfeiting, appeared […]
US: We Will Not Give Up Oversight Of Internet Domain Name Root Zone 31/07/2008 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch The Bush administration has no intention of giving up United States oversight role of the management of the central root zone of the internet domain name system (DNS), the essential database storing information on how to reach domain names on the global internet. In a letter to the […]
Nokia-Qualcomm Settlement Boosts Sharing, Ends Costly Patent War 31/07/2008 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch Nokia and Qualcomm, the two mobile phone equipment manufacturers engaged in a costly patent war that spanned three years and three continents settled their differences last week. However, questions still remain over the principles they fought about in courts around the world. The companies agreed a new intellectual […]