Broad Plan On IP, Innovation In Developing Countries Approved At WHO 22/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Applause broke out at the annual World Health Assembly Friday as agreement was reached at the end of a five-year process to devise a plan for boosting research and development on and access to drugs needed by developing countries. Now with the full assembly’s approval, the focus will turn to implementation and as-yet unclear ways to pay for it.
UN Internet Governance Panel Urges Infrastructure, Education On Access To Knowledge 19/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to knowledge is a future challenge and a key factor for social and economic development but a balance needs to be found between the interests of rights holders and those of the public, said speakers at a high panel on access to knowledge during the World Summit on the Information Society Forum on Monday.
US Patent Reform Prospects Unclear; First-To-File Questioned 18/05/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Patent reform may be chugging along in the United States Congress, but so far, with the Senate soon to be consumed with what could be a contentious Supreme Court nomination fight, and with President Obama still lacking a new director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, some are questioning whether reform will actually happen this year. In addition, a key “first-to-file” provision in the US bill to harmonise with other countries may be more appearance than substance.
WHO Members Fail To Finish Pandemic Flu Preparations 18/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A series of meetings intended to set out a global framework for dealing with a potential pandemic completed its last session Saturday night with progress made but several essential issues still uncompleted.
Content Industry Still Seeks Digital Model As Enforcement Focus Persists 15/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the continued absence of a new model that adequately includes them, major global media groups remain concerned over revenues lost to unauthorised file-sharing decades after the arrival of the internet, and their focus is still on enforcement and extension of their rights.
French Parliament Passes Final Internet Anti-Piracy Law; Reaction Expected 13/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The French Senate’s vote on Wednesday sealed the adoption by the Parliament of the controversial French HADOPI law creating a graduated punishment mechanism for alleged copyright infringement on the internet.
May Edition Of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Now Available 12/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Edition features top news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the international IP community, news briefs and more. The May edition is now available for subscribers.
Les membres de l’OMPI progressent sur la mise en application du Plan d’action pour le développement 12/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment En avril dernier, les membres de l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI) ont entrepris des négociations complexes dans le but d’approuver un nouveau plan de mise en application des recommandations visant à accroître les efforts de l’OMPI en faveur du développement, comme l’ont déclaré des participants.
The World Is Going Flat(-Rate) 11/05/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 34 Comments A new study shows a copyright exception for legalising file-sharing is feasible, as a cease-fire in the “war on copying” emerges. A new social contract between creatives and society is needed, says media sociologist Volker Grassmuck.
EPO Looks To Future Technologies, 2010 Leadership Change 08/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments PRAGUE – The current revolution in science and information was the topic of this year’s European Patent Forum, which brought together examiners, lawyers, policymakers and other patent professionals to discuss how the pace of the patent system can mesh with today’s whirlwind of technological change. Meanwhile, European Patent Office (EPO) President Alison Brimelow informed her staff that she will “not be seeking extension” when her current three-year contract is up at the end of June 2010.