US Trade Representative Ron Kirk To Depart In February
United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk has announced his departure from office in late February.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category Copyright Policy
Development In Indian IP Law: The Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012
India’s Copyright Act, 1957 has been significantly amended. In May 2012, both houses of the Indian Parliament unanimously placed their seal on the Copyright Amendment Bill, 2012, bringing Indian copyright law into compliance with the World Intellectual Property Organization “Internet Treaties”. In this article, attorney Abhai Pandey breaks down the changes.
The Big Shift: A Look At Key Issues In International Copyright In 2013
Although pressure on internet service providers and other online companies to stop digital infringement isn't likely to abate this year, the current focus on enforcement appears to be giving way to a broader debate about how to resolve long-standing copyright issues to the benefit of users and the global economy. Talks continue in the World Intellectual Property Organization and elsewhere on exceptions and limitations, as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement remains controversial.
US Senate Judiciary Committee 2013 Agenda Includes Privacy, Press Freedom
The United States Senate Judiciary Committee in 2013 will address topical issues of gun violence and immigration, but will also take up issues of citizens' civil liberties in light of ever-increasing security measures, and a push for government transparency, freedom of the press, digital rights, access to books for the visually impaired, and incentives for innovation.
Business’ Privileged Access To EU-India Trade Documents
The Corporate Europe Observatory and the European Commission presented their arguments in a case over access to documents about the EU-India free trade agreement before the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg last Friday.
After A Tough 2012, IP Owners In US Face An Uncertain 2013
Intellectual property owners in the United States may be happy to see the end of 2012. Among the notable setbacks they suffered last year: Congress refused to expand remedies against online infringement, the Supreme Court raised the bar for patentable inventions, and lower courts repeatedly denied injunctions against patent infringement. It is unclear, however, if IP owners will fare better in 2013.
Reform Of EU Data Protection – Largest EU Lobbying Campaign Ever?
“We live in an age changed and characterised by the use of information about individuals and personalised data and we need clear and differentiated rules how to handle this,” Green Member of the European Parliament Jan Philipp Albrecht, one of the lead rapporteurs for the data protection reform in Europe, said today. “General principles alone are not sufficient.”
IP-Watch Looks At The Year Ahead In International IP Policy
What will 2013 bring for international intellectual property and innovation policy?
In the coming Intellectual Property Watch series for subscribers, our expert writers take a look at the top global policy issues and events in copyright, public health, legal battles, food security/biotech/biodiversity, trade, development, internet governance and more.
Collaborative Capacity Building In Intellectual Property — Leveraging On African Diaspora Exchange
Depending on where one locates its advent, contemporary globalization is now more than half a century old. It might be asked whether globalization has been beneficial to Africa. One quick and easy way of addressing this often asked question is to cursorily look at the regional dynamics of over half century of globalization. And this leads to an urgent call for "homeland-Diaspora" intellectual property training, says Prof. Chidi Oguamanam.
Most-Read IP-Watch Stories Of 2012: India Pharma, Europe, ACTA, WIPO Technical Assistance, Gene Patents
As 2012 becomes a memory, it is fair to say that the intellectual property rights discussion shifted over the past year, with trade agreements, over-reaching in copyright and patents, and the provision of technical assistance all falling under increased pressure. At least if the most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of the year are any indication.
At WIPO, A Complex Fight Against Counterfeiting, Piracy
The fight against counterfeiting and piracy is at the heart of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on enforcement, a non-negotiating body. In a meeting of the committee this week, delegates heard expert presentations on ways to tackle infringement and measure its impact. However, the smooth discussions were disrupted by considerations of the future work of the committee.
European Human Rights Court: Internet Restriction Violates Freedom Of Expression
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled this week that “restriction of Internet access without a strict legal framework regulating the scope of the ban and affording the guarantee of judicial review to prevent possible abuses amounts to a violation of freedom of expression.”