The World Is Going Flat(-Rate) 11/05/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 34 Comments A new study shows a copyright exception for legalising file-sharing is feasible, as a cease-fire in the “war on copying” emerges. A new social contract between creatives and society is needed, says media sociologist Volker Grassmuck.
Golan Case May Put US In Violation Of International Copyright Treaties 08/05/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States federal court recently gave some bad news to the US government and many foreign copyright owners – including the estates of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, and Igor Stravinsky. The court struck down a US statute which had restored copyright protection to the works of these foreign authors. By limiting copyright restoration, the ruling might prevent the US from fulfilling its obligations under the Berne Convention and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
Panel: Public Domain Fosters Innovation, More Limitations & Exceptions Needed 08/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The public domain is key to the promotion of innovation and should be fostered, but international intellectual property policies may hinder that process, said speakers at a side event to the last week’s meeting of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property. Limitations and exceptions to copyright should be expanded and made mandatory, policymaking should be based on evidence and the public domain should be clearly defined and listed internationally, they said.
WIPO Buzzing With Possible Names For Top Cabinet Posts 05/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Behind the day-to-day policy and technical work at the World Intellectual Property Organization, member governments’ lobbying of new Director General Francis Gurry to obtain top positions for national officials at WIPO has been intensive in recent weeks and is near conclusion, according to sources. Among the pack of possible names is a recent former director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, according to sources.
WIPO Pushes Members On Patent Treaty Compliance; US Wants PCT II 04/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The secretariat of the World Intellectual Property Organization is working this week to gain support for a proposal to get countries to better implement the UN organisation’s core revenue-generating instrument, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). But some developing countries are wary of the proposed changes, even as the United States is calling for a new PCT.
WIPO Members Move Ahead On Development Agenda Implementation 04/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization in difficult negotiations last week approved a new plan for implementation of recommendations for deepening WIPO’s development focus, according to participants.
Panel Reminds WIPO Of UN Mandate; Call For Independent Evaluation 30/04/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization should infuse its United Nations mandate and other aspects of the WIPO Development Agenda into all its norm-setting activities, panellists said this week.
WIPO Members Discuss New Methodology For Development Agenda 27/04/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organization are trying this week to agree on implementation of a new development dimension for the UN body and the global intellectual property system. And they have a new methodology proposed by the WIPO secretariat as a starting point.
IP And Sustainable Technology Debate Centres On Access And Benefit-Sharing 23/04/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and Catherine Saez 2 Comments As the need to protect the global environment grows, questions are being raised about how intellectual property might help incentivise the development of the right kinds of technology and its transfer to places that need it most.
Gurry To Judges: We Must Work For Changes To Global Patent Treaty 22/04/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The Patent Cooperation Treaty is not performing up to par and is not helping enough to alleviate the stress on the global patent system, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said here Tuesday. The backlog theme was echoed by judges from across the globe who said their dockets are getting fuller with IP-related cases.