USPTO In Obama’s Proposed Consolidation Of Trade-Related US Agencies? 13/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US President Obama today announced a proposal to combine six government agencies working in areas of international trade and economics, aimed at boosting efficiency. This includes the Commerce Department, which currently houses the US Patent and Trademark Office, and it appears it would affect the USPTO.
The Year Ahead 2012: Top IP Legal Issues In The United States 13/01/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments This year could bring major changes in US intellectual property law. Congress and the nation’s courts will be confronting a variety of issues that have broad ramifications for copyrights, trademarks and patents. Here are some of the top developments to watch in 2012.
Book: Shape Up International Reforms To Address Food Security 11/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Current global institutional reforms of agricultural innovation systems and the commodification of crop diversity are not answering concerns regarding international equity in access to plant genetic resources, the handling of agricultural research, and the sharing of benefits arising from this research, according to a new book by Claudio Chiarolla, research fellow at the Paris-based Institut du développement durable et des relations internationales (IDDRI).
US Competitiveness Report Shows Struggle With Balance Of IP And Access 09/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new report from the United States Department of Commerce on competitiveness and innovation details the US need to boost innovation in order to compete globally and grow the economy. But while it stresses the need for strong intellectual property rights enforcement to create high-priced monopolies as an incentive for innovation, it also acknowledges that access to inexpensive technology and ideas is key to innovation and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, it shows that the rise in IP rights in recent years has been accompanied by a drop in innovation.
USPTO Issues Proposed Rules Implementing America Invents Act 06/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has published four notices of proposed rulemaking implementing provisions of the patent reform law signed last year. The issuance of the rules, which came ahead of schedule, opens a 60-day comment period on the draft rules.
Change In USPTO Representation At WIPO Could Reflect Shift In Priorities 05/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The sudden change in officials in charge of international policy at the United States Patent and Trademark Office could reflect shifting priorities at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Most-Read IP-Watch Posts Of 2011 Tell Story Of International IP Policymaking 03/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of 2011 demonstrated the versatility and range of our readers from around the globe, from an intense focus on international and national copyright issues to bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements, to issues in India and Brazil, patent laws, patents in agriculture, scientific knowledge, and of course, policies emerging in Geneva at the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and elsewhere at the multilateral level. Most of all, they tell the story of the year gone by, with clear signals of what’s to come in 2012.
Last Parliament Standing: Europe Final Stronghold Of ACTA Critics 21/12/2011 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments With a recent decision by the Agriculture and Fishery Council of the European Union, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) seems to have made a big leap forward. And with recent breakthroughs in other countries, ACTA’s final hurdle may be in the European parliaments.
IP Experts Focus On 3-Step Test In Copyright, Discuss Way Forward 21/12/2011 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Although intellectual property issues did not play a big role in the Eighth World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, some international stakeholders took advantage of the global gathering to meet, discuss and debate the 3-step test in copyright, a key topic in IP today. The discussion included a call for a WTO declaration on the 3-step test.
WIPO Reports Uptick In IP Filings In 2010 20/12/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization today released a report showing global filings for patents and trademarks turned upward in 2010. But there were some variations across the map.