Category Copyright Policy

E-Commerce Is For Young People, Small Enterprises, Regulation Not Essential, Alibaba Founder Tells Geneva

Electronic commerce should be the realm of young people under 30 and of small enterprises, according to Alibaba founder Jack Ma, speaking at an event on digital trade in Geneva this week. He also pressed countries to just get on the e-commerce train, and worry about regulations later. Meanwhile, World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo said at the same event that without help small companies would no better survive the competition of large companies online than they did in the real world.

Catherine Saez
April 27, 2017

WTO IP Division Director’s Thoughts On World IP Day

Antony Taubman, director of the World Trade Organization Intellectual Property Division, has been in a good position to view the world and intellectual property for some time. Today, designated as World IP Day, we caught up with him to ask his views on the theme this year.

William New
April 26, 2017
1 Comment

Winners Of Ideas4Change For UN Sustainable Development Goals

Inventions to contribute to the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have been rewarded. A reactor which converts carbon dioxide into ethanol, a method for the detection of pesticides and contaminants in food, and renewable leather created from bacteria won the heart of the jury.

Catherine Saez
April 26, 2017

‘Make Sure The Trademark Lawyer Is There’ At The Beginning

For World Intellectual Property Day this year, the World Intellectual Property Organization held a discussion on “Innovation in Communication: A State of Mind,” with a creator designer, a brand consultant and a writer as the panel.

Peter Kenny
April 26, 2017

E-Commerce Serving Mostly Rich Economies; UNCTAD Launches Online Platform For Inclusivity

Electronic commerce is booming but mostly for high income economies, speakers said at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is holding a weeklong event on digital trade. Technical assistance is needed for developing countries to hop on the e-commerce train, they said, as UNCTAD launched a platform designed to help developing countries navigate the arcane of electronic trade.

Catherine Saez
April 26, 2017
3 Comments

Privacy-Related Worries Are Keeping Users From Using E-Commerce, Survey At UNCTAD Finds

A global survey on internet security and trust found users are worried about privacy, and in particularly wary of cybercriminals, internet companies, and governments. This lack of trust is hurting the potential of electronic commerce, the survey revealed.

Catherine Saez
April 25, 2017
2 Comments

Developing Countries Lay Out E-Commerce Plan As Basis For WTO Ministerial

A group of ministers from developing countries today released a roadmap for global digital commerce discussions, aimed at paving the way to discussions on electronic commerce at the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in December.

Catherine Saez
April 25, 2017
1 Comment

Court Ruling On IP Struggle Between Movie Producers Shows Level Of Copyright Awareness In Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria -- A federal high court in Lagos granted an interim order on 24 March, stopping the premiere and release of a movie called the “Okafor’s Law” over copyright infringement.

Jackie Opara
April 24, 2017
3 Comments

The Creative Power Of Musical Borrowing And Efforts To Control It

Duke Today writes: To borrow from Cole Porter, Tchaikovsky did it. Beethoven did it. Even Robert Johnson and Ray Charles did it. Creative masters all, they each appropriated music from others in their works and were borrowed from in turn.

William New
April 23, 2017
1 Comment

Departure Of YouTube From Russia Could Result In Growth Of Pirated Content, Government Warns

The use of pirated content in Russia may significantly increase in the event of a decision by leading foreign video-sharing websites and servers to leave the country due to the planned imposition of restrictions on their ownership by foreigners, which is currently being considered by the Russian government and the local Parliament (State Duma).

Eugene Gerden
April 20, 2017
2 Comments

The Web Is At A Crossroads – New Standard Enables Copyright Enforcement Violating Users’ Rights

Parminder Jeet Singh writes: The World Wide Web today stands at a crossroads, as its standards body, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), considers the demand of big content providers to provide them with the facility to be able to control user devices for ensuring that their content is not copied. This facility is called the Encrypted Media Extension (EME), which enables these companies to put digital rights management (DRM) into the user's browser, whether the user wants it or not, and whether such restrictions are as per the user's local national laws or not.

G20 IT Ministers Want Access For All, Commit To Conflicting Objectives

The Group of 20 (G20) ministers responsible for the digital economy today called for further efforts to advance access to the internet for everyone and close the digital gaps that still exist. Gathered in Dusseldorf, Germany, for the two-day IT related preparatory conference for the G20 Summit in Hamburg in July, the ministers signed a declaration on “Shaping the Digitalisation for an Interconnected World.” It was the first time that ministers for digital economy met in the G20 format.