Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The Swedish Pirate Party harvested 7.1 percent of the Swedish vote in preliminary results from the European Parliament elections on Sunday, 7 June, according to official sources. The Party aims to fundamentally reform copyright law, get rid of the patent…
A commission under the United Nations charged with monitoring progress in improving science and technology in places where access is difficult and capacity to use that access scarce, concluded its recent annual meeting with draft resolutions on internet and society and on development and science. One notes that there is still much work to be done to bridge the ‘digital divide’ that creates disparities in access to information technology and knowledge in the world; the other calls on governments and UN institutions to find innovative ways to support innovative capacity.
Now even trademark owners and large businesses do not really agree on the planned extension of the internet domain name system to include hundreds of new top-level domains (TLDs) like .com.
Health advocates have raised alarm over reports that several million pills of generic medicine were held up in Frankfurt airport in May despite being destined for a different port. And new information has come to light indicating Dutch seizures were more numerous than originally thought. These developments have prompted outcry and the assertion that a European-wide law on customs and intellectual property is problematic.
COPENHAGEN - As a candidate for the European Parliament elections on Sunday, the Swedish Pirate Party has “good chances” of winning one, two or possibly even three mandates, it says, referring to Swedish opinion polls.
Draft legislation to change United States copyright law related to payment for music on radio is likely to see action this summer in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the committee chairman said Thursday.
Draft rules on intellectual property rights in publicly financed research are stirring significant debate in South Africa between those who say the rules may stifle innovation, breach WHO commitments and be unconstitutional, and others who say concerns are overblown and the measures are needed to boost the country's economy.
The practice of brand name companies paying generic manufacturers to delay the entry of lower-priced generics into the market could become illegal, if a bill before the United States House of Representatives passes. The bill (available here [pdf]) is “to…
لجنة المنظمة العالمية للملكية الفكرية المعنية بحق المؤلف توصلت في مايو/أيار إلى اتفاق بشأن تناول الاستثناءات في حق المؤلف للأشخاص المعوقين بصريا وغيرهم من أجل تحسين نفاذهم إلى مواد القراءة.
En mai dernier, le comité du droit d’auteur de l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI) s’est accordé sur la manière d’aborder la proposition de traité sur les exceptions au droit d’auteur en faveur des déficients visuels et sur d’autres dispositions permettant un meilleur accès aux ouvrages de lecture.
En mayo, el Comité de derechos de autor de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual llegó a un acuerdo sobre un plan para examinar una propuesta de tratado sobre excepciones a los derechos de autor que permitan a los discapacitados visuales y a otras personas tener un mejor acceso a material de lectura.
China is blocking its citizens’ access to leading international social media and news websites in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square anti-democracy massacre in Beijing. Media and information sharing sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, and…