World Conference On International Telecom Kicks Off In Political Style 04/12/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) has affirmed the right to freedom of information online, the secretariat of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said in a press release on day two in Dubai, Qatar, where over 160 country delegations since yesterday are talking about the future global telecommunications rules.
ITU’s Touré Urges Syria To Restore Internet Access 30/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment UN International Telecommunication Union Secretary General Hamadoun Touré used a press conference on the eve of the much-anticipated World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) which starts in Dubai next week to call on the Syrian government to investigate problems of access to the mobile network and internet in Syria and do “anything necessary to restore the access.”
US Ambassador On WCIT: “ITU Is Not The Problem” 29/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment United States Ambassador Terry Kramer, head of the US delegation to the upcoming UN-led World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) in Dubai, in a press call today warned against proposals that would invite the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to get into the business of internet governance, be it routing interventions, content control issues, or changes in accounting for internet traffic. Yet reacting to an earlier call by ex-White House official Andrew McLaughlin at a New America Foundation conference to “dismantle the ITU”, Kramer said: “I do not think the ITU is the problem.”
EU Parliament To Vote On Measure Against Biopiracy; Focus On UN Protocol 29/11/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European Union lawmakers will vote soon on a non-binding measure aimed at protecting genetic resources and fighting biopiracy, or misappropriation. Despite the critical importance of these issues, efforts to draw the European Parliament’s attention to the resolution have been difficult and its outcome is less than clear, its author says.
Fast-Tracking Green Patents Reduces Wait Time, Appeals To Start-Ups, Study Finds 28/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Several countries have established fast-track programmes to expedite the examination of environmentally oriented, or “green,” patents. Preliminary findings from a study assessing the success of those programmes were presented last week to Geneva intellectual property professionals.
WCIT: Is It About The Internet Or Not? 22/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The debates are getting more heated with the December World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) in Dubai coming closer. Google today (21 November) launched one of its big campaigns to rally support against what it says is an attempt by some countries to “further regulate the internet” and potentially limit free speech through censorship.
Report Seeks To Advance Global Debate On Technological Transfer 21/11/2012 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) proposes solutions to advancing the global technology transfer debate to better bridge the development gap between developed countries and the global South.
WHO Denies Industry Money Unduly Influencing Non-Communicable Disease Fight 19/11/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan today issued a statement attempting to clarify the UN agency’s relationship with the industries – like producers of junk food and soda – in line to be regulated as the UN moves to battle globally rising noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Post-Baku, Pre-WCIT Special Report: Internet Governance On A Shoestring 19/11/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The recent Internet Governance Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan was used as a stage for some very targeted messages on the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunication, it saw yet another round of exchanges on some of the tough questions of digital society from privacy and security to future copyright, and had the most intensive discussions on human rights in cyberspace so far.
Study: UN Development Needs Reform; US, Indian Ambassadors Agree 16/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A study compiling the results of two surveys on the need for reform of United Nations development activities was presented this week in the presence of US and Indian ambassadors who agreed on needed improvements, though with a North and South perspective.