WIPO Members Conclude Year Positively With Copyright Committee, Despite No Changes To Text 14/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization’s last committee meeting of the year finished on an amiable note last week. The committee on copyright did not advance on text drafting but, according to the chair and a number of delegations, the weeklong meeting was an opportunity for extensive discussions on substance, the best in a long time.
WTO: Talks On GI Register Start, Tied To Other Negotiations In July 2015 Deadline 12/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An informal meeting of World Trade Organization members on a long-discussed register on geographical indications of wines and spirits today showed that member states were committed but not yet inclined to delve into the issues until they have a clearer picture of other sensitive topics of the Doha Round.
Copyright Exceptions For Libraries: WIPO Should Step Up Before Someone Else Does, Researcher Says 12/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments The author of a World Intellectual Property Organization-commissioned study said this week that WIPO should take the lead on the issue of limitations and exceptions to copyright for libraries, before the debate and the solution are left to other actors.
Limitations And Exceptions For Libraries, Archives And Education At WIPO: What To Know About The Africa Group Proposal 10/12/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 29th Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights at the World Intellectual Property Organization is currently underway. On the agenda, inter alia, will be discussions on Limitations and Exceptions to Libraries, Archives and Educational, Teaching and Research Institutions. Against the backdrop of the success with the Marrakesh Treaty, the trajectory looks set for these further exceptions and limitations to succeed.
NGOs Offer Views For WIPO Members Creating IP Rights Treaty For Broadcasters 10/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization members have been working in relative secrecy this week to decide how far to apply intellectual property rights protections on broadcasts. To guide them, nongovernmental organisations offered a range of views, from sweeping protections to scaling back the proposed treaty.
At WIPO This Week: Broadcasting Treaty, Copyright Exceptions And Limitations 08/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After two difficult meetings, the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee is meeting this week with the hope of getting closer to a treaty protecting broadcasting organisations, although questions remain on scope and level of protection. The committee is also expected to find ways to work on exceptions and limitations to copyrights for libraries, archives, education and research, as developed countries oppose normative work, and developing countries want international instruments.
WTO Back At The Discussion Table On GI Register 08/12/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An informal meeting is scheduled to take place on 12 December at the World Trade Organization on a multilateral register for geographical indications of wines and spirits. The meeting is expected to discuss how to move the work in the negotiations, and how to reflect it in the post-Bali work programme, according to a source.
WIPO Seminar: For Access To Hepatitis C Treatments, Look At HIV Lessons 08/12/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A seminar on innovation and access to medicine last week examined the issue of access to hepatitis C treatment, looking at the HIV/AIDS path. Voluntary licences, such as the one entered by Gilead for its hepatitis drugs, have been applauded but such licences often do not cover middle-income countries, which are home to the bulk of hepatitis C patients, and whose poor populations remain unable to access treatment.
Remembering Ville Oksanen 04/12/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment From EDRi: Ville Oksanen, Vice President and a founding member of Electronic Frontier Finland (Effi), passed away on Sunday 23 November 2014 in Helsinki from a sudden illness. He was 37 years old.
Another Setback For Design Law Treaty At WIPO; GIs In Contention 27/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The fate of a potential treaty meant to harmonise international industrial design registration formalities took another turn this week, as African countries asked that the treaty include a safeguard against misuse and misappropriation of their traditional designs, which was seen by developed countries as a manoeuvre to delay the process.