Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Advocates of stronger protection of geographical indications are working to develop greater awareness in Geneva policy circles, trying to win over countries reluctant to adopt a specific GI protection system.
A New York federal court ruled yesterday that patents on genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are invalid, in the first time a court decided that patents on genes are unlawful, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The UN Human Rights Council yesterday extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food for three years. The resolution, A, adopted without a vote, requests that the special rapporteur “continue to monitor the evolution of the…
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Google did not infringe trademark law “by allowing advertisers to bid for keywords corresponding to their competitors’ trademarks,” according to the Google blog. The internet search engine said it is satisfied with…
The expansion of internet domain names as proposed is worrying to trademark owners as a significant number cybersquatting cases continue to be filed in the World Intellectual Property Organization dispute resolution system, WIPO said this week. Meanwhile internet intermediaries should play a bigger role in the fight against trademark infringement, WIPO officials said.
International trademark filings plummeted in 2009 but trends should be reversed as the global economy regains strength with signs already showing in 2010, World Intellectual Property Organization’s Director General Francis Gurry said today.
European Union copyright law needs to be amended so that the clearance of copyrights is simplified for online content, the European Broadcasting Union said today. The group presented the results of an analysis it conducted today at the European Parliament in Brussels.
The Brazilian government today announced the start of a process of public consultation on suspension of concessions or obligations of intellectual property rights from the United States. The government on 15 March published a resolution of the Chamber of External…
The recently released US annual trade agenda shows an intention to conquer new international markets, strengthen the global trade system and enforce obligations and US intellectual property rights. The US also means to address what they consider as trade barriers. [Update: President Obama spoke on the trade agenda today, more below.]
A recent UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference on the benefits of agricultural biotechnologies in Guadalajara, Mexico, sparked strong reactions from peasant organisations and civil society.