Governments Eye DRM Interoperability Rules As Consumers Vent Over Access 04/12/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch LONDON – Increasing consumer demand for accessing online content anytime, anywhere is politicizing copyright, speakers said last week at the Digital Hollywood Europe conference here. Frustration over restrictive and incompatible digital rights management (DRM) systems and consumer electronics devices has risen to the point where governments are beginning […]
Indigenous Communal Moral Rights 04/12/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By Molly Torsen A more and more robust literature on traditional cultural expressions is being written, discussed and even filtered into legislation. Most academic thinking on the topic agrees that Western intellectual property (IP) laws do not offer adequate or appropriate protection for certain types of creations. One example is the poor fit Western copyright […]
Balancing Patents and Standards Seen As Key For Mobile Phone Industry 01/12/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Technology companies have long recognised the importance to their economic growth of patents and standards, but increasingly they are focusing on the intersection of the two in order to seek changes to the patent system, industry experts told an event at the World Intellectual Property Organization on 29 November. The presenters were Tim Frain, director of IPR in the regulatory affairs department of Nokia Corporation, and Paul Davey, director of intellectual property at the Vodafone Group. Both industry representatives encouraged government officials in the audience to consider legislative remedies to problems they perceive in patents interfering with standards related to technological innovation. Davey and Frain discussed concerns that some holding licenses for technology may not be willing to recognise the need for access to standard-related patents in order to ensure the interoperability of technologies. Frain argued that the current patent regime “may no longer be sufficient,” and suggested a legislative change might be necessary.
Demócratas podrían demorar acuerdos comerciales de EE.UU. pero podrían cambiar poco en PI 28/11/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Martin Vaughan para Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Las nuevas mayorías demócratas del Senado y la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos constituyen nuevos obstáculos frente a las iniciativas comerciales de la Administración Bush. Pero, según encargados de la formulación de políticas y observadores de ese país, éstos probablemente no se traducirán […]
The Music Process – Between New Business Models And Lawsuits 28/11/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Pedro Paranaguá. The traditional business model of the phonographic industry is being left behind by the competitiveness of new technologies. The technological world is evolving, but some businesses are struggling as they are not adapting themselves to the ever-increasing changes. Trying not to be left behind, the phonographic industry has preferred to use the […]
Proposal Could Create New Biotech Benefits In WHO Public Medicine System 27/11/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The biotechnology industry has proposed to change the international generic naming of medicine ingredients, which at the moment are public property, into unique names for each medicine, making it harder to substitute them with cheaper versions, and linking them to trademarks, sources say. A powerful industry coalition submitted a joint […]
US-Russia Bilateral/WTO Deal Pushes New Standards For IP Protection 24/11/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New In its bilateral negotiation with the United States in order to join the World Trade Organization, Russia appears to have agreed to intellectual property rights standards that push those of the WTO and US law to new levels. IP issues have been a top priority for the United States in recent years […]
Democrats Could Slow US Trade Deals But May Change Little On IP 23/11/2006 by Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – The new Democratic Party majorities in the United States Senate and House of Representatives pose new obstacles for Bush administration trade initiatives. But they are not likely in the short-term to result in wholesale changes to intellectual property rights provisions that are part of those […]
Australia Eyes No-Fault Copyright Infringement Offences 17/11/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Australia is poised to become the first country to make copyright infringement a “no-fault” offence, a move aimed at broadening criminal penalties for infringement. The change is part of sweeping revisions intended to bring Australia’s Copyright Act 1968 into the digital age and compliance with the Australia-United States […]
WIPO At The Internet Governance Forum: DRMs, Access To Information, And Flexibilities 07/11/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the recent UN Internet Governance Forum in Athens, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) representative said there is a “new emphasis on limitations and exceptions to copyright and user rights in areas such as freedom of expression and access to information.” But there is a need to promote interoperability of technology standards in areas […]