Sri Lanka Seeks GI Protection For Ceylon Tea 20/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Sri Lanka Tea Board, will seek intellectual property protection for Ceylon tea (which takes its title from a former name of the island nation), according to a business news source from the country. Protection is sought under the World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement rules on geographical indications, or product […]
US Congressional, USPTO Officials See Geneva Policymaking Up Close 19/02/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A small group of United States congressional staff and officials from the Obama administration working on intellectual property issues were in Geneva this week to discuss IP policy with representatives of intergovernmental organisations and industry, according to sources.
White & Case Analysis of WTO US-China Copyright Case 18/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Brendan McGivern, a partner at White & Case law firm in Geneva, issued an analysis of the recent decision by a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel on a case filed by the United States against China over copyright, customs and criminal matters. The outcome was mixed, with the US losing on its principal claim. […]
ITU Sees Telecom Innovation As Key To Economic Recovery 18/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The UN International Telecommunication Union issued a report at this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that found innovation, convergence and a little opportunism will lead the information and communications technology industry out of the current crisis. Read the report here.
ISP Liability, Copyright Term Extension Key IP Issues For Europe This Year 18/02/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The effort to tackle digital piracy is likely to remain the most contentious intellectual property issue in Europe this year. It will be joined by debates on copyright term extension, IP provisions in trade agreements, and an ongoing discussion of patent policy in Europe.
WIPO Rules On jackass.com 18/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment It is often unfortunate to see what the public servants of the World Intellectual Property Organization domain name arbitration centre must sift through to make decisions on internet name disputes, which generally reflect consumer tastes. In this case, media industry giant Viacom lost its fight for the rights to jackass.com, which corresponds to its low-life […]
Strong EU Trade Provisions On IP Seen As Threat To Poor Nations’ Medicines Access 18/02/2009 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments BRUSSELS – Efforts by the European Union to insert strong provisions on pharmaceutical patents in a series of free trade agreements it is negotiating could imperil access to medicines in developing countries, global public health activists have alleged. As part of trade talks being conducted with India, Colombia, Peru and a regional grouping in south-east Asia, EU officials have proposed that drug-makers should benefit from a robust intellectual property regime. National regulatory authorities in the countries concerned would be prevented for lengthy periods from using data provided by a company that holds a drug patent in order to authorise a generic version of that medicine.
Texas Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Selling Counterfeit Software 18/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WASHINGTON – Timothy Kyle Dunaway, 24, of Wichita Falls, Texas, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison by US District Court Judge Reed O’Connor in Wichita Falls for selling counterfeit computer software through the internet in violation of criminal copyright infringement laws, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and […]
Intellectual Property Watch Website Updated 18/02/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Readers may have noticed a few changes to the Intellectual Property Watch website, which we hope will make us easier to use as we bring you the same great content like breaking and in-depth stories and expert views, plus new features like a microblog (the IP Burble), better subscription management, improved search capabilities, a new discussion forum, more podcasts and other products and services. For those signed up to our RSS feed, you will need to update your feed reader with the following new feed address: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ip-watch For personal subscriptions, please always use your email address to login on the new website (your password is unchanged). If any doubt, you can request a new password below the login form. If you are part of a group subscription, the administrator of your group has received or will receive new instructions. If you have questions, email us at info@ip-watch.ch.
The Critical Amendments in Turkish Trademark Legislation 17/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A Turkish firm, Grup Ofis Patents & Trademarks, has highlighted key concerns in Turkey’s new trademark legislation, which it said came into force in January 2009. Click here to read document.