ACTA Still Open To Interpretation, Legal Experts Say; Transparency Fight Ongoing
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is open for interpretation, perhaps too much so, legal experts on both sites of the Atlantic are warning.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
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Developing Countries Need Help To Get Research Results Patented, IP Proponent Says
Developing countries are not taking advantage of discoveries made by their scientists and researchers because they lack an appropriate intellectual property infrastructure and expertise, according to a long-time United States proponent of IP rights speaking in Geneva last week. He called for development funds to be redirected to address these shortcomings rather than only supporting IP enforcement initiatives.
TiVo Case More Closely Aligns US With Europe On Patent Infringement Contempt Cases
The United States recently changed one important aspect of enforcing patent rights. Patent owners who wish to use contempt proceedings to stop adjudged infringers from committing additional infringements must comply with the new standards laid down in TiVo Inc. v. EchoStar Corp. The decision, which brings US law closer to that of European countries, makes it easier for patentees to bring contempt actions, but may sometimes make it harder to win these actions.
Trading’s End: Is ACTA The Leading Edge Of A Protectionist Wave?
Government policymakers are stalling on trade liberalization while erecting new nontransparent trade barriers, writes Frederick Abbott.
WIPO Begins New Era With A Light, Transparent Office Building
More than two years after construction was begun and 13 years since its approval, a large new World Intellectual Property Organization office building quietly opened doors in March and the exodus from across the street and several other locations in Geneva began for some 500 employees of the United Nations organisation.
New US Tech Industry Lobbyist In Geneva
The technology industry - including Google, Microsoft, and Facebook - has a new lobbyist in Geneva.
Plant Breeder’s Rights – A Blessing Or A Curse?
Niels Louwaars of the Centre for Genetic Resources, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, discusses the importance of plant breeder’s rights. He makes the case for a carefully balanced protection for plant breeders and changes to patents in agriculture, in order to ensure a competitive, diversified supply of plant varieties and seeds.
New VP For US Chamber IP Center
The United States Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property Center has announced the addition of an executive vice president, joining from the brand-name pharmaceutical industry.
Special Report: World’s First IP Financial Exchange To Come Online This Year
The first financial marketplace for the trading of patent rights is scheduled to go online this year, and other countries are eyeing the United States’ progress with interest.
Industry Lobbyist Is “Journalist” For Managing IP
Patrick Ross, a former journalist who for the past three years was the executive director of the Copyright Alliance industry lobbying group in Washington, DC, has joined industry publication Managing IP as a reporter.