Year Ahead: Copyright Issues Rank High On EU To-Do List This Year 25/01/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Copyright, copyright and more copyright tops Europe’s intellectual property agenda for 2017. With the EU institutions mulling major reforms to copyright laws, publishers are pushing for a right to bar unauthorised copying or reuse of their content for commercial purposes, audiovisual authors for fair remuneration for use of their works on platforms like YouTube. The European Commission will begin reviewing the enforcement of IP rights as well as delving further into issues related to liability of platforms for infringement. But there are many patent issues too, including plant variety protection, patent incentives, and the ongoing unitary patent court.
It’s Official: TRIPS Health Amendment In Effect, First Ever To A WTO Agreement 23/01/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments More than a decade after World Trade Organization member states approved the first-ever legal amendment to a WTO agreement, the change to the international intellectual property agreement has entered into effect. Five more members ratified the amendment in recent days, bringing supporters over the minimum needed to put into effect the amendment aimed at boosting exports of medical products made under compulsory licence.
Disruptive Technologies Pose Challenge To IP Protection, Speakers In Thailand Say 23/01/2017 by Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment BANGKOK – So-called disruptive innovation – currently referring to the technologies of Internet of Things, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and big data – are changing the way people live their life and affecting existing traditional industries, but current legal regimes are unequipped to deal with these changes yet, government and private experts said at a recent forum here.
Giving Process Its Due When An SDO Changes Rules Of The Game 22/01/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment George Willingmyre writes: The process a Standards Developing Organization (SDO) employs to revise its patent policy is an aspect of the SDO’s competitive posture in the global marketplace. A dearth of research exists on the processes SDOs employ to revise their patent policies. Generally, the processes an SDO uses to revise its patent policy are part of the governance processes of the SDO. As a baseline, the governance processes of an SDO must be consistent with the applicable legal system defining what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. What an SDO says about its governance processes is a further consideration. Thus the procedures themselves, the procedures’ relationship to the applicable legal system and what the SDO says about the procedures all play a role in understanding how an SDO revises its patent policy.
IP Law In The US: A Look Ahead 20/01/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Whatever else could be said of 2016, it was undeniably interesting. That’s likely to be true, too, for 2017. Even the staid area of US Intellectual Property Law may face dramatic changes. Here’s the likely most important of those changes.
Groups Seek Assurance Of Affordable Zika Vaccine From US Army Exclusive Licence 19/01/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A range of civil society organisations have issued a public statement opposing the United States Army’s proposed grant of an exclusive licence on technology necessary to produce a Zika vaccine to French pharmaceutical company Sanofi. The letter cites concerns that the exclusive licence might violate US law and could lead to high priced medicines as consumers buy back taxpayer-funded research.
Kenyan Livestock Breeders Call For Protection Of Their IP Rights 19/01/2017 by Justus Wanzala for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The lack of an intellectual property regime for animal breeding in Kenya is undermining efforts to curb illegal exploitation of Kenyan animal genetic resources, according to industry representatives.
Achieving SDG Health Targets Using ‘The Vital Role Of Law’ 18/01/2017 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Effective laws, including those around intellectual property rights, and an enabling legal environment, are as essential to a healthy society as clean water, a group made up of a representative of the World Health Organization, academics and a legal expert for a civil society group, have asserted while launching a key report.
Survey Analyzes Tech, Media, Telecom Disputes; IP Prominent 17/01/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Newly released results of a survey published by the Queen Mary University of London on disputes relating to technology, media and telecommunications reveal interesting details about the types of disputes brought and the reasons behind them.
EU Study Recommends FRAND Clarification, More Coordination On 5G 16/01/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The rapid development of information and communication technologies, and the need for greater interconnectivity driven by the Internet of Things has created a variety of standard-essential patent (SEP) owners and implementers with different business models, and for more diverse licensing practices, the European Commission Joint Research Centre says in a new study. This has made it harder to agree on an interpretation of FRAND licensing principles, something European policymakers must clarify in order to meet key digital single market and other goals, it says.