IP Rights In A Quiet Tug-Of-War At UN Climate Change Negotiations 06/11/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments BARCELONA – At this week’s global climate talks, efforts are being made to trim references to intellectual property rights in relation to technology transfer from the body of a non-paper and relegate much of it to an appendix. But developing countries have asked that those measures be brought back into the main text. An updated non-paper should be issued on Friday.
Pirate Party Gains Second Seat In EU Parliament 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This week’s ratification of the European Union Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic put in place the treaty and and with it a new Parliament member from the Swedish Pirate Party. The second Pirate Party seat will be occupied by the 22-year-old Amelia Andersdotter, who will become the youngest Member of the European Parliament, according […]
ACTA Internet Chapter Leak Signals Far-Reaching Copyright Policy 05/11/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments As governments negotiating the secretive Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) meet in Seoul this week, public interest concern has surfaced over leaked information on internet enforcement.
Technology Debated In UNFCCC Barcelona Talks; IP To Follow 05/11/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment BARCELONA – After only a short break from the Bangkok climate talks, some 30 days before the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, delegates are back at the negotiating table for the last stretch of intense discussions. Among the issues discussed by delegates from 181 countries, technology appears preponderant, including the way to encourage environmentally sound technology (EST) innovation, and to transfer that technology to developing countries. Meanwhile, civil society is warning of possible new technology-related risks, and the issue of emission reductions is also being hotly discussed.
US Senate Letter Urges IP Rights In Climate Talks 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A bipartisan group of 42 of the 100 United States senators sent a letter to US negotiators in global climate talks in Barcelona this week urging the protection of intellectual property rights over any technologies developed to address climate change. In the 2 November letter, available here [pdf], they cautioned against allowing developing countries to […]
Governance Sought For Climate Tech As Bill Gates Applies For Patent 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments BARCELONA – As a global climate change convention is being discussed in Barcelona, the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology scheduled a hearing on 5 November about the implications of large-scale climate intervention, also called geoengineering. Geoengineering is the “intentional, large-scale plans to modify the climate and related system,” according to Diana […]
MPAA On Broadband, Net Neutrality: Regulation Good, Not Good 04/11/2009 by William New and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) this week urged the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “to make the protection of creative content online a core and guiding principle” of its new National Broadband Plan. But its view suggests it would support stronger regulation over the internet, an approach it has strongly opposed in other areas.
WIPO Power Struggle Looms Over Development Agenda Coordination 04/11/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A struggle over the power and reach of the World Intellectual Property Organization Development Agenda may be looming as members of the UN agency begin to take control of implementation with differing views. Key developing countries say members must not only focus on specific projects but also on the broader agenda for change at WIPO. Developed countries want simple coordination with other committees without the heavy hand of fundamental change.
US Court Opens Door To Challenges Of Gene Patenting 03/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment US federal district court ruled yesterday that patents on human genes can be challenged in court. This unlocks a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT). The lawsuit was filed against the patenting of two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer. The lawsuit targeted the […]
Rest Of Europe About To Yield To HADOPI’s Siren Song? 03/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Concerns are rising among activists about the impending spread to the rest of Europe of French HADOPI-like legislations punishing alleged copyright infringers on the internet with a suspension of internet connection after three alleged violations (“three strikes”). The Conciliation Committee delegation of the European Parliament is expected to meet on 4 November to discuss a […]