Year 2009

Financial Crisis Provides Opportunity, Pitfalls For Green Innovation

LAUSANNE - One should not waste a good crisis, goes the common wisdom - a piece of advice policymakers might use to spur the world closer to a green, knowledge-based economy, said a panel at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Wednesday. The current financial crisis and an awakening recognition of the ecological crisis have presented a unique opportunity for innovation - and particularly green innovation - to take a lead role in driving future economies.

Nations Work To Make IP Systems Combat Climate Change

With less than a year to complete a new global plan to combat climate change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is under pressure to be able to move to a decision at the end of the year. But it is in the longer-term action plans that intellectual property issues are featuring most prominently, as parties to the UNFCCC aim to satisfy the need for growth in poor countries, and to mitigate effects of growth on the environment - a move that will require effective technology transfer.

Malgré les obstacles, les pressions de la France au niveau national visant à sanctionner le piratage sur Internet font des émules

WASHINGTON – Le 9 juin, au cours d’une conférence, la ministre française de la Culture et de la Communication, Christine Albanel, a défini la loi Création et Internet comme étant « à la fois ambitieuse et réaliste ». Selon elle, ceux qui pensent qu’Internet est une zone de non-droit « se trompent d’époque ». À l’occasion de cette conférence, des hypothèses ont également été avancées quant à la législation américaine entourant la réforme des brevets, les droits d’interprétation et d’exécution, et d’autres questions.

HADOPI Copyright Law To Get New Set Of Teeth With Additional Law

The Sarkozy government will implement a law aimed at promoting legal online downloading in the coming months despite being prevented from cutting off the internet access of alleged three-time offenders, according to official sources.
Meanwhile, the government has already begun preparing a new law that would restore penalties decided by a judge rather than by the newly created HADOPI commission.

UN Special Rapporteur: IP In Health Helping Those With Most Means, Less Need

Nearly two billion people lack access to the medical care they need, and in the developing world those who do manage to have access are overwhelmingly paying out-of-pocket, often triggering a fall into poverty. The monopoly-making power of patents to drive the cost of medicines beyond affordability is a significant contributor to this disturbing trend, says a report of the United Nations rapporteur on the right to health presented at last week’s Human Rights Council.

WIPO Appoints New Top Officials, Readies Policies On Conflicts Of Interest, Staff Cuts

The member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s executive body on Monday approved a set of seven most senior officials at the organisation to join the director general late this year. Monday's Coordination Committee meeting also will address new policies on financial disclosure and conflicts of interest among top WIPO officials, and voluntary staff departures in the face of smaller budgets.

USTR Revives Focus On ACTA; Talks Set For July

The Office of the United States Trade Representative on Friday said it had reviewed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) under negotiation and has decided to move ahead on the treaty. Negotiating countries will meet in Morocco in July, and the targeted completion is still 2010.