EU Commissioner To Boost IP Focus, Seek Last Push For Community Patent 13/07/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BRUSSELS – The European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Charlie McCreevy, this week said he will pay “particular attention” to intellectual property rights during the coming year, including one last drive to create a European Community patent. “I will go for one big last push for the Community patent,” he told a 12 July […]
European Commission Fines Microsoft €280.5 Million In Antitrust Case 12/07/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BRUSSELS – The European Commission today fined Microsoft €280.5 million ($356.35 million) for failing to comply with a 2004 Commission request to provide documents that would make it easier for other companies to develop products that would be interoperable with Microsoft’s products. This is the first time in the European Union’s 49-year-long history that it […]
EU IP Enforcement Directive Questioned On Procedure 11/07/2006 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Procedural questions could kill a proposed European Union directive aimed at fighting theft of products, patents and copyrights, after the Dutch Parliament raised jurisdictional objections last week. At issue is the planned EU directive on criminal measures aimed at ensuring the enforcement of intellectual property rights [COM(2006) 168 […]
EU Flags Geographical Indications In WTO Trade Talks Paper 22/06/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a new European Union communication to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the ongoing agriculture negotiations, the EU has moved its call for higher intellectual property rights protection for product names deriving from geographical locations to the top of its list of demands. At issue is Europe’s wish to better protect its geographical indications […]
Brazil Fights To Make Case For International Biodiversity Protection 31/05/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Brazil has arguably the earth’s richest source of biological diversity, and it is fighting to get help at the international level to protect those natural resources from what it says is unfair exploitation through patents by companies and others in and outside Brazil. While industry argues that the Brazilian law regulating the use of genetic […]
Centre Highlights Brazil’s Leadership In IP, Free/Open Source Issues 22/05/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Debates over the intellectual property system, access to knowledge, and free and open source software are raging worldwide, but perhaps nowhere so much as in Brazil. And in that country, one forum for debate and analysis that stands out is the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) Law School in Rio de Janeiro. Located at the FGV […]
France Forges Ahead With Copyright Law 16/05/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch The French Senate on 10 May approved legislation aimed at aligning the country’s intellectual property law with the European Union Copyright Directive. The Senate package differs in several key respects from the one adopted in March by the National Assembly but is equally controversial, stakeholders said. The Senate-passed […]
EPO Completes First Part Of Its 2020 Scenario Project 11/05/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office (EPO) recently completed the first phase of a “scenario for the future” project that will analyse the future of the intellectual property system with a 2020 horizon and try to determine the implications for Europe in particular. While the scenario project itself was launched about a year ago, the EPO has […]
Pfizer Fights IP Flexibilities In The Philippines 30/04/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The world’s largest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, is suing the Philippine government for having imported and registered – but not marketed – a product that is still under patent. At the same time, industry is said to be lobbying against a bill under consideration in the Philippines that would introduce more flexibilities into the country’s intellectual […]
Universities See “Disastrous Effects” For Education, Science In German Copyright Reform 30/03/2006 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch A German scientist who would like to read an online book owned by another department of his university soon may have to travel to the department and read it on site instead if a proposed copyright law is passed. “I will not be able to just use our […]