US Vote On Net Neutrality Could Affect The World, UN Rapporteur Says 20/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The recent decision by the Trump administration in the United States rolling back the internet neutrality is of concern and in the long term could have effects beyond US borders, David Kaye, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, told a press briefing today. He also commented on the negative effect of the social media model, in particular Facebook on small independent media outlets, but said the issue of the control of the internet is not limited to Silicon Valley companies.
A Canadian Billionaire’s Mysterious Death And The Effect On Access To Medicines 20/12/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The mysterious death last week of Canadian billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife has raised many questions. For some, one question is what impact it will have on pharmaceutical competition in Canada, as his giant generic medicines company Apotex was seen as making a mark in access to medicines. It was also recalled that the company is the only one to have used an obscure provision of a World Trade Organization intellectual property agreement aimed at making more affordable medicines available in least developed countries.
US Court Strikes Down Bar On Scandalous Trademarks 19/12/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Yet another part of US trademark law is dead. On Friday, a US appellate court struck down a statutory provision that prohibited the registration of immoral or scandalous marks. The decision was almost inevitable, after a recent Supreme Court ruling applying the US Constitution’s free speech guarantees to trademark law. And it is likely to be followed by further successful court challenges to America’s trademark law.
US Decision On Net Neutrality Will Not Impact ICANN’s Work, ICANN CEO Says 19/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet is almost an experiment, the CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers said today at the Internet Governance Forum. No one has ever built an internet before, he said, adding that between 3.5 and 4 billion people connect to the internet every day successfully, taking the technology for granted. He did not provide any comments on the recent United States decision ending net neutrality in the country, but said it will have no influence on ICANN’s work.
Internet Content Control Is Here, UN Special Rapporteur Warns IGF 19/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Internet content regulation is coming, in fact it is already here,” said David Kaye, United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, during a panel organised by the Global Network Initiative on day one of the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva this week.
Starbucks Trademark Dispute Brewing Over Bull Pulu Tapioca Logo 18/12/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has rejected an opposition from Starbucks to trademark registration no. 5897739 for the green-and white “BULL PULU TAPIOCA” concentric circle logo with a puppy white bull dog in the center, writes Masaki Mikami.
INTA 4-Year Strategic Plan: Value, Consumer Trust, Innovation 17/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The International Trademark Association (INTA) will implement a new strategic plan for 2018 to 2021 starting with the new year. The plan focuses on promoting the value of trademarks and brands, reinforcing consumer trust, and embracing innovation and change.
Intellectual Property Rights In Trade – To Be Rethought? 15/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment After two decades of intellectual property regimes in trade agreements, one could have some second thoughts, according to a number of panellists at the Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium, organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and held alongside the 11th World Trade Organization Ministerial in Buenos Aires, Argentina this week.
Obviousness In The Wake Of Arendi 15/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its opinion in Arendi S.A.R.L. v. Apple Inc. last August,[1] many patent commentators have asserted that the decision marked a significant change in the analysis of obviousness under 35 U.S.C. § 103, especially as a weakening of single-reference obviousness grounds. Notwithstanding this decision, petitioners and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board have continued to rely on single-reference obviousness to assert and find that claims are obvious, write Amy Simpson and Kyle Canavera.
G-Finder Report: Global Funding For R&D In Neglected Diseases Increasing, Overreliance On US Funding Dangerous 13/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A report released today on global funding of research and development for neglected diseases found that global funding has increased but warns that overreliance on funding from the United States, which the report says is “unparalleled,” and leads to a heavy concentration of global funding on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This overreliance could also lead to change in total global funding, the report found.