WIPO Debate: Can – Or Should – Governments Own Their Country Names? 20/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This week, Jamaica tabled a proposal at the World Intellectual Property Organization for a non-binding instrument that would provide a guideline on the protection of country names against misleading trademarks for intellectual property offices and trademark practitioners. The proposal was received with interest by some member states while others, like the United States and South Africa, raised strong concerns.
New Document On Technical Assistance, But WIPO Design Treaty Still In Trouble 20/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization delegates are trying to find a way out of a dividing line on how to address technical assistance in a potential new treaty on industrial designs. A new non-paper by the chair of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical indications (SCT) was released this morning. At stake is the committee’s recommendation on the convening of a high level meeting to agree on the treaty.
WIPO Trademark Committee Opens With Firm Positions On Design Treaty 18/03/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the outset of this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization trademark committee meeting, several member states cited a pressing need to move forward in preparing recommendations for a treaty on industrial designs. Others maintained firm positions on the unresolved issue of keeping a provision on technical assistance to developing countries as part of the treaty text.
First Geneva Dialogue On Traditional Knowledge This Week 18/03/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A multi-stakeholder group open to participants will meet this week for the first Geneva Dialogue on Traditional Knowledge, to informally discuss negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization scheduled to resume next week.
WIPO: Internet Domain Expansion Disruptive To Trademark Strategies 17/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN World Intellectual Property Organization today announced its concern over the effect on trademark protection of the current launch of over 1,000 new internet domains by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Patent Filing Cost Reduction Coming For Small Companies In Japan 14/03/2014 by Akiko Uehara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Japanese small and medium-sized venture companies and micro enterprises will receive a reduction on patent filing costs under the national “Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act” as of 1 April.
WIPO Shows Record Growth Across International IP Filing Systems 13/03/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch and Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment “Intellectual property, in general, is in a growth mode, and in a growth mode which is considerably in excess of either the national GDP growth rates or the world GDP growth rates,” World Intellectual Property Organisation Director General Francis Gurry said today.
Design Treaty, Country Names, Geographical Indications Next Week At WIPO 12/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks will address three main issues next week. Among them, delegates will look to advance a draft treaty facilitating the international registration of industrial designs, and try to agree on how to address technical assistance in that draft treaty. In addition, the United States has a proposal to invite into the committee discussions on a proposed revision of the Lisbon Agreement on the Protection of Appellations of Origins, and Jamaica is pursuing its effort at a stronger international soft law for the protection of country names against use as trademarks.
WTO-WIPO IP Training Course For Governments 12/03/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization are jointly offering a course this week on all aspects of intellectual property to a group of officials from developing countries and countries in transition, the WTO has said.
With A “Clean Slate,” WIPO Director Nominee Gurry Looks Ahead 06/03/2014 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Incumbent Francis Gurry of Australia today was nominated to be the director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization until 2020, with WIPO members to make their final decision on 8 May. In his return to office, Gurry told reporters today he wants to focus on the digital marketplace, improving the organisation’s performance, changing geopolitics, and to steer journalists away from writing about allegations of wrongdoing at WIPO.