PFF On Cooling The World By Misappropriating Patent Rights 01/04/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Sidney Rosenzweig of the Progress & Freedom Foundation writes that some countries, such as China, want to take advantage of new environmental technologies without having to pay, and are advocating the use of compulsory licences to access them.
China IP Offices To Honour Tomb-Sweeping Day 01/04/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The China Patent & Trademark Office and the State Intellectual Property Office will be closed from 4 to 6 April for Tomb-sweeping Day, a celebration of ancestors, which falls this year on 4 April, according to an email from Hylands Law Firm in Beijing. Last year, the Chinese government made the Tomb-sweeping Day an official […]
G20 Envisions World IP Court; WIPO Hopeful Host 01/04/2009 by Martin Frobisher for Intellectual Property Watch 16 Comments LONDON—Leaders of the world’s largest economies struck a closed-door deal late Tuesday to create an international court for intellectual property litigation in a move sources said they deemed a best effort to turn back global economic demise.
US Trade Team Responds To Protectionist Pressure In Reports On Trading Partners 31/03/2009 by William New and Dirshaye Abate for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Obama administration’s new trade team has quickly come under pressure to focus on protecting United States interests, including enforcement of intellectual property rights, at a time when multilateral institutions urge governments to remain open for the sake of the global economy.
Industry Gets European Union Buy-In At Event Against Piracy, Counterfeiting 30/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission this week will launch a forum for coordinating attacks against counterfeit and pirated goods, to be announced at a daylong event featuring representatives from a wide range of industries. No representatives of the public interest or consumers appear to be included in the event or related initiatives.
Germany Opts For ISP Filtering Of Child Pornography; NGOs Warn Of Unintended Impact 30/03/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Several German ministries seem to be in a footrace to draft legal text for a filtering regime blocking child pornography from German users’ personal computers agreed by the government last week.
Strickling Nominated To Head US Telecom & Internet Agency 30/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Obama administration recently nominated Larry Strickling assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information, a post which would make him head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The NTIA is responsible for the US government agreement overseeing the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is the technical coordinator of […]
US Commerce Secretary Locke On Patents 30/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Newly confirmed United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke was asked some questions about patents during his nomination process in the Senate. The Commerce secretary oversees the US Patent and Trademark Office. Here are his responses [pdf], according to a Washington lobbying group.
WIPO Patent Committee Calls For Further Study, Consultations 30/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Five new studies on select patent-related topics and informal, open-ended consultations on global issues are the key elements of future work for a World Intellectual Property Organization committee that wrapped up its meeting late Friday.
Videocast With Georg Greve On Software Patents 30/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Georg Greve of Free Software Foundation Europe makes the case that software fails a three-step test to determine patentability.