Q&A With Newly Appointed KIPO Commissioner 24/09/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Ho-Won Kim, the newly appointed commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), discussed his views on KIPO’s major policies in a recent exchange with Intellectual Property Watch. He explained the directions KIPO will take on international cooperation, examination pendency periods, and other issues, such as what the international dispute between Samsung Electronics and Apple means for companies worldwide.
UN Sanctions Committee Finds No Violation In WIPO Shipments To North Korea 24/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization did not violate United Nations sanctions on North Korea when it shipped computers and equipment to the country as technical assistance, a UN sanctions committee has found. It did suggest that WIPO should have consulted the committee before making the shipments, but accepted WIPO’s plan for review and consultation in the future.
Copyright Industry Hard-Hitter Fritz Attaway Retires 21/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Fritz Attaway, a fighter for copyright in the international legal and policy trenches for nearly four decades has retired, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced today.
Decision on WIPO Design Treaty Left To General Assembly; Internet Issue Dropped 21/09/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization delegates today were unable agree to recommend to the upcoming WIPO General Assembly to convene a high-level treaty negotiation on industrial designs. Work on draft treaty articles demonstrated good spirit, according to the committee chair, but experts could not agree on the timeframe. The committee, meanwhile, reached agreement on further work on the protection of country names, and quietly dropped the role of internet intermediaries in trademark protection from the meeting agenda.
Medals, Models And Moguls 21/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Cobus Jooste writes: In this special report, the VineOracle (IPStell’s personal pundit on all things IP) brings news (and her own brand of predictions) for the aesthetically minded visitor. And it’s a star-studded cast of high-flyers (and fast swimmers) from Paris and New York representing some of the most exclusive brands. But do not be fooled by the A-list members on call, from what the VineOracle hears, these celebrities are prone to IP rights violations aplenty.
Patently Wrong – The Jury’s Verdict In Apple v. Samsung 19/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments All is fair in love and (patent) war, but apparently not when it comes to awarding damages in patent litigation, writes South Africa’s Cobus Jooste.
Hope To Advance Industrial Design Treaty At WIPO Meets Reluctance From Developing Countries 19/09/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry set the tone at the 18 September opening of a WIPO committee on industrial designs, calling on countries to keep the treaty-signing momentum built up last June with the adoption of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances. However, developing countries have been reluctant to engage in an international treaty on industrial designs and this week delegates will have to agree on how to pursue discussions on the subject.
Internet Providers, Trademarks Owners Need Collaboration And Trust, WIPO Panel Says 18/09/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The responsibility of internet intermediaries in cases of intellectual property rights infringement has long been debated. Wedged between rights holders and internet users, intermediaries are asked to provide surveillance from the first and to preserve an open internet by the second. An information meeting organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization tried to gather different points of view on the role and responsibility of internet intermediaries in the area of trademarks.
IFPMA Report, Panel, Examine Rise Of Industry Global Health Partnerships 12/09/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report commissioned by international pharmaceutical industry released yesterday offers findings and recommendations based on study of 200 global health partnerships aimed at low- and middle-income countries. The report was released at a panel discussion of a range of health experts who highlighted work to date and upcoming needs in the area of global health partnerships.
How To Reboot WIPO 12/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments By this point, I’m sure the entire intellectual property community knows that WIPO has problems, from an investigation of sanctions-busting in its technical assistance programmes going back years to allegations of vote-buying through abuse of the hiring process. It harkens back to the dying days of the term of the last Director-General, Kamil Idris, who left office early under a cloud, writes Nick Ashton-Hart.