Original news and analysis on international IP policy
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today that the European Union would not include national parliaments of EU member states in the final decision on the Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA). Juncker's CETA statement was made during the post-Brexit meeting of EU heads of state in Brussels today (28 June), several German newspapers reported quoting the German News Agency (DPA).
De minimis non curat lex – the law does not concern itself with trifles. This venerable legal principle is applied throughout the world, but not in one part of US copyright law. Copying any part of a sound recording, no matter how tiny, is actionable copyright infringement, according to an eleven year-old US appellate court ruling. Following that ruling, pop star Madonna found herself sued because her hit song, Vogue, allegedly copied a fraction of a second of another song. That copyright infringement suit was thrown out on 2 June, however, when a different appellate court ruled that de minimis infringements of sound recordings do not create any liability. Now US copyright law is in a muddle.
The World Health Organization has named veteran health crisis expert Peter Salama of Australia the next head of the Health Emergencies Programme, a high-profile position for the UN agency's leadership against outbreaks and disasters.
The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) is meeting this week. Among the possible agenda items: updates to the international patent system, exceptions and limitations to patents, quality of patents, patents and health, confidentiality of client-patent advisor communications, and technology transfer. A recent developed country proposal relates to increased work-sharing among patent offices. Also on the table this week is a new proposal to study the assessment of inventive step by patent practitioners.
The Russian government has officially adopted a package of measures aimed at tightening state control for the observance of intellectual property rights in the country. This will take place through the introduction of a new system of IP management and implementation of other measures, according to recent statements of Oleg Fomichev, Russia’s deputy minister for economic development.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) should not wait 8 or 10 years before its next Internet Ministerial, said OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria at the closing session in Cancun Mexico yesterday. Gurria called for a faster pace for government and regulators to adapt to the digital markets. Better data on the data economy will help, as reflected in the new Cancun Declaration.
Britons' 23 June decision to pull out of the European Union has caused shock waves in the UK and Europe, and the vote is still being digested. Early reactions from members of the intellectual property community show that the impact of Brexit on IP policies and issues in Britain and Europe is far from clear.
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) last week hosted a meeting of experts in Harare, Zimbabwe, to review the Draft Regulations for the Implementation of the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.
John Sullivan writes: It's obvious that this acquisition isn’t necessarily about the IP assets of LinkedIn. However, let’s have a closer look at LinkedIn’s portfolio to see if there are any hidden gems inside that would represent a nice fringe benefit to what already looks like a mutually beneficial acquisition.
The intergovernmental South Centre has raised the level of its activity on issues of relevance to the intellectual property community in recent weeks.
Beware “digital protectionism.” That was one of the key messages of United States Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, speaking at the official opening of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial on the digital economy in Cancun, Mexico.
Jaguar Land Rover has sued carmaker Jiangling Motor in a Chinese court for allegedly copying its Evoque SUV, but observers say the solution to car clones lies outside the courtroom.