Original news and analysis on international IP policy
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Pedro Paranaguá writes: Brazil's new Minister of Culture is under severe pressure from civil society groups, academics and some artists. After just a few weeks in power, Minister Ana de Hollanda issued an order to take the Creative Commons license off the Ministry's website. Why is that a problem?
PARIS - The rise of counterfeiting and global economic difficulties combined to sap resources devoted to intellectual property enforcement, said panellists at an event highlighting the fight against counterfeiting and piracy yesterday, and discussed innovative solutions. Meanwhile a civil society group said enforcement of IP rights is a false solution to substandard medicines.
PARIS - Sustainable development made what some described as a welcome intrusion at the global congress on counterfeiting and piracy during a dedicated session on Wednesday, with discussions on how to conduct enforcement efforts while taking into account developing country specificities.
PARIS - Counterfeiting and piracy are on the pillory at the annual event organised by three intergovernmental agencies fighting intellectual property rights infringement. Much of the emphasis of this year’s event is being placed on the danger to the consumers and the economic consequences of infringement as well as on the necessity of enforcement measures. But some developing country delegates present at the event raised concern that the event might not be taking their concerns sufficiently into account.
An American industry representative with European ties has been named to take over the role of coordinating and communicating US international policy on patents and trademarks. Meanwhile, a key civil society lawyer became US manager of Doctors without Borders Access to Medicines campaign in the United States. And a music industry lawyer central to several landmark copyright cases has been nominated to be the next solicitor general. Catch these and the new faces at the trade associations and law firms in the latest edition of the IP-Watch People Column.
A top official of the Microsoft Corporation paid a visit to his former school in Geneva yesterday on his way from the World Economic Forum, and talked about corporate responsibility, the company’s principles, infringement issues and cloud computing. He also tried to explain the company’s complex differential pricing regime aimed at lowering prices for lower income populations – especially if they don’t happen to speak a popular world language.
Think tanks can be a godsend for reporters with a looming deadline. Almost invariably, they are staffed with articulate policy specialists, adept at summarising complex issues in a few quotable sentences. Frequently, too, the think tanks have neutral-sounding names, so a reader or viewer of news reports can easily believe that they are independent of vested interests.
Closer inspection reveals that many of these “independent” bodies are in fact heavily reliant on corporate donations. This is especially the case for a number of think tanks working on intellectual property.
For anyone in Egypt in recent months or years, it was impossible to ignore the extraordinary destitution of masses of people living in dusty, stark cement structures everywhere on the edges of Cairo or the choked roads clogged with a far-too-rapidly swollen population. Reports from the ground via digital technologies chronicled events that hit this week, but it might be the digital silence today that seals the change.
American lawmakers aren’t wasting any time getting down to business after President Obama stressed the importance of spurring innovation during his annual State of the Union address this week and cited the need for the United States to regain its competitive edge, particularly when up against countries such as China and India. A slew of related bills are emerging in Congress.
CANNES - More help from governments, a hope for new cloud music services and new markets in emerging countries like Brazil. India and China were on the wish list of the big music labels and publishers at this week's annual industry bash in Cannes, France. Technology companies and the newly invited hackers were more concerned with new ways to better access music and connecting artists and fans.
The recently completed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is not fully consistent with European Union law and goes beyond international law in some of its aspects, concluded a group of intellectual property law experts from universities in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Spain.
For many experts in internet governance the future of the multi-stakeholder model is the top issue in 2011. The participation of governments, technical experts, industry and civil society in discussions about how best to organise - and regulate - society on the net is at stake.