Category Copyright Policy

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What Is Happening At The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference?

Consultant Richard Hill writes: There is lots going on at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, in particular a typical North/South clash regarding who should do what. The global South would like to see a greater role for the International Telecommunication Union in some areas, or a least a smaller role for institutions based in or dominated by the global North, whereas the global North favors the status quo. But there are many nuances, some very significant, within this overall picture.

WTO Works To Make Vast Store Of TRIPS Information Easier To Use

The World Trade Organization is taking steps to make the vast store of information shared by WTO members in the Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) easier to use.

William New
November 3, 2014

TRIPS Council Debates: Tobacco Packaging, Non-Violation Disputes, Innovation, Health Waiver, UNCTAD

This week's meeting of the World Trade Organization body governing intellectual property issues addressed a long agenda, reflecting continued divergence on regular items, such as complaints that do not involve breach of a WTO agreement, a health waiver, and sustained discussions on plain packaging for tobacco products.

Catherine Saez
October 30, 2014
1 Comment

UK Opens Access To 91 Million Orphan Works, UKIPO Says

The United Kingdom today launched a new licensing scheme aimed at opening access to more than 91 million creative works whose owners or copyright holders are not known or not found.

William New
October 29, 2014
2 Comments

First Innovation Fair Hosted At WTO, Draws Diverse Projects With IP In Mind

The World Trade Organization hosted an Innovation Fair on 28 October, gathering inventors, supporting agencies, and patent offices. A number of inventions were displayed and explained, from concrete walls to motorisation for bicycles.

Catherine Saez
October 29, 2014

New To Copyright: Canada’s Idea For Political Advertising Exception

The Canadian Conservative government is considering a new copyright exception for political advertising that would be unique in the world and address an issue already covered by Canada's constitutional rights, copyright experts said.

Simon Doyle
October 24, 2014
2 Comments

WIPO Launches Guide On Use Of IP For Arts And Cultural Festivals

The World Intellectual Property Organization announced the publication of a practical guide on how best to use intellectual property for organisers of arts and cultural festivals.

Catherine Saez
October 24, 2014
1 Comment

The Indian Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 And Its Functioning So Far

It’s been a little over two years since the Copyright Act, 1957 was extensively amended in 2012 with far-reaching ramifications for all categories of stakeholders. The amendments purported to introduce a level playing field for different categories of right holders in the entertainment industry, recognise the access needs of users of the copyrighted works in general and visually impaired population of the country in particular, align the copyright regime of the country with rapid advances in technology and streamline copyright enforcement and administration. To gauge the influence of the amendments on copyright regime in India as well as to see if their implementation so far has been in sync with the legislative intent, this article seeks to evaluate the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 as well as their working, writes Abhai Pandey.

This Week’s Vote Will Show Who Finnish MPs Listen To On Copyright, EFFi Says

On 24 October, the Finnish Parliament is expected to vote on the Citizens' Initiative for Common Sense for Copyright Act, which aims to make Finnish copyright law more user-oriented. But with a proposal to gut the Act, a counter-proposal to save it, and unprecedented lobbying expected, the next two days should be interesting, writes Electronic Frontier Finland.

TRIPS Council Next Week: Tobacco, Innovation, Non-Violations, Public Health Review

The next meeting of the World Trade Organization Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is scheduled to take place on 28-29 October. In addition to the regular agenda items of the Council, two additional agenda items have…

Catherine Saez
October 22, 2014

WTO Director General Presents TRIPS As Major Tool For Trade Growth

World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo this week hailed WTO’s intellectual property agreement, saying the past two decades show it provides a balanced multilateral foundation for the growth of trade in knowledge-rich products and services.

Catherine Saez
October 21, 2014
1 Comment

Review of “Digital Depression: Information Technology And Economic Crisis”

Information and communication technologies (ICTs), and in particular the internet, have revolutionized and disrupted all aspects of human activity, and even behaviour. This has resulted in many academic publications and much discussion, including in intergovernmental bodies, regarding various issues, including how best to govern the internet.

Dan Schiller’s book helps us to understand the background of these events, which have affected economic and political power relations, and how US policies have consistently favoured capital over labour, and have resulted in transfers of vast sums from developing countries to developed countries, writes Richard Hill.