William New

William New

FSFE Offers Cutting-Edge Analogue Printer

In yet another sign that this day is full of surprises, the Free Software Foundation Europe has announced that it is offering a special cutting-edge "analogue printer" device, which can print any colour, 3D, underwater, and all file formats.

MPAA Head Criticises China, ‘Rogue’ Websites

A week into his new job as CEO and Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), former Senator Chris Dodd gave his "inaugural" speech salted with jabs at China and websites that carry movie content without authorisation of the rights holders.

Registration Still Open For WHO Sessions On R&D Financing

The expert group at the World Health Organization looking for ideas to fund research into diseases disproportionately affecting poor populations will open up its first meeting next week to public input. Participants can register for the open sessions until Monday, 4 April at noon. Proposals for a presentation to the group are due by Friday, 1 April at noon.

Call Issued For UN Intervention In Trans-Pacific Regional Trade Pact

As officials gather this week to continue negotiations for a trade agreement among countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, a multi-country set of non-governmental organisations and academics urged a United Nations-appointed official to intervene, on grounds that the trade deal will severely impact the public health of poor populations in those countries.

India, WIPO Connect On Traditional Knowledge Protection, With Or Without Patents

The World Intellectual Property Organization went to India last week to highlight the country’s success in creating a digital library of Indian traditional knowledge, which it uses to prevent illegitimate patenting of its resources. But whether WIPO found a way to fit the Indian project into the UN agency’s mission to protect and promote intellectual property rights was unclear.

Yale Conference Revealed Secrets Of Online Advertising

A conference of the Yale Law School Information Society Project held 25-26 March exposed the underlying thinking of major advertising players like Google, the Wall Street Journal and others. You may be surprised what they revealed about the use of your personal data, but then again, you may be more empowered than you thought to control your relationship to pervasive big advertising, which, it appears, is here to stay.

Pharma Industry Seeks To Bring A Fresh Face To Public Health Policy

The research-based pharmaceutical industry is working to bring a fresh face to the international public health policy arena in Geneva, most recently through a new initiative on technology transfer. Working through the industry’s Geneva-based trade association, the effort to be seen in a more positive light comes after years of doubts about the transparency of its involvement in these issues and could change the tenor of international negotiations.

Cox Is New Staff Attorney At KEI

Knowledge Ecology International, an influential Washington, DC-based non-governmental group working on public health and knowledge access issues, has added a new staff attorney.