Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch Despite an apparent stalemate on patent reform in the United States Congress, the Bush administration is still pushing for a bill to be completed this congressional session. Speaking in California’s Silicon Valley…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - The banking industry and the intellectual property community will be keeping close tabs on the activities of a United Nations group next month when it meets to begin forming the foundation of IP rights treatment by the world's various secured financing systems.
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) last week delivered to Congress its 2008 National Trade Estimate Report (NTE), which includes many intellectual property-related challenges in 62 trading partners around…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - The Japanese Patent Office in April will introduce a new policy called JP-First, which aims to release patent examination results of applications first filed with the JPO to major patent offices throughout the world, including in some developing countries. The initiative and others could be steps toward allowing patent filers to bypass an established international treaty on patents, sources said. Also at the event, government officials and academics also discussed copyright developments in Canada. US experts argued that Canada is not doing its part to crack down on piracy, while the Canadians said they are actually setting the bar in some areas in terms of protecting copyrighted works.
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch NEW YORK–The World Intellectual Property Organization is seen as in a state of tumult these days, as the global body searches for a new director general and tries to grapple with issues…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - The Internet neutrality debate is raging in the United States, and some observers say that if a legislative standard can be set here, it could serve as a global principle for Internet governance in the future.
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - Business leaders and some global government officials on Monday urged ratification of a global anti-counterfeiting treaty and proposed a series of new strategies aimed at curbing pirated goods they say not only harm developed and developing countries' economies, but their citizens' health as well.
Meanwhile, European Union participation in the negotiations has come into question, and non-governmental critics have raised concerns about the need for a treaty and the inclusiveness of the negotiations.
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The United States Patent and Trademark Office got a slight financial boost in President Bush’s proposed $3 trillion fiscal 2009 budget released Monday, while agencies such as the State Department and International…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The Patent Reform Act of 2007, proposed legislation to modify United States patent law, is a step in the right direction, but in its current form threatens to undermine innovation, the Bush…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch China and the United States last week held high-level discussions on a host of topics including intellectual property rights, reaching agreements to cooperate on IP rights protection, stopping counterfeit medicines and devices,…