Category Trademarks/Geographical Indications/Domains

TPP Is Obama’s Top Trade Priority For 2016

Passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is the Obama administration's top trade priority this year, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said in its annual trade agenda released today. The agenda highlights intellectual property protection but also says all the right things on copyright limitations and exceptions, safe harbor for internet service providers, and the ability of countries to use flexibilities under international trade law.

TTIP Negotiations: 12th Round Ends With Plan To Hurry Between Official Rounds

By July trade negotiators from the United States and the European Union want to present a draft text that only has brackets for the “most sensitive issues” in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This was announced by Ignacio Bercero, chief negotiator for the European Union, and his US counterpart Dan Mullaney during a press conference today after this week's 12th round of TTIP negotiations in Brussels.

IP And Innovation, Non-Violation Complaints On TRIPS Council Menu

The now-familiar item of intellectual property and innovation is on the agenda for next week’s regular meeting of the intellectual property committee of the World Trade Organization. This time under the item, a range of developed countries have proposed to discuss education and diffusion, and Switzerland has put forward a paper on nurturing a culture of innovation.

Year Ahead In Internet Governance: Where The Internet Stewards Will Go In 2016

Transitioning of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) out of the United States government - or not – is the top issue of a narrower internet governance community in 2016. Yet looming behind the many high-level government events are some more controversial topics that are attracting a wider set of stakeholders: the unresolved issues of privacy, free flow of data, surveillance and encryption, as well as the security or rather insecurity of a space of networked machines, including military machines.

Whistleblowers Detail Accountability Problems At The Top Of WIPO; US Congressional Members Prepare Actions

WASHINGTON, DC -- A set of senior former employees of the World Intellectual Property Organization and their representatives yesterday gave detailed sworn testimony to US lawmakers on what they termed extremely serious misconduct and retaliation at the United Nations agency. A congressional subcommittee chairman told Intellectual Property Watch afterward that based on all they have heard, they believe WIPO Director General Francis Gurry has “gone rogue” and that action against him will begin immediately. The US State Department will be pressed to demand a copy of a newly completed UN investigation of Gurry that apparently has been shared with the Colombian Ambassador in Geneva, Gabriel Duque, who is chair of the WIPO General Assembly this year.

US Congressional Hearing On WIPO Accountability This Week

Several subcommittees of the United States Congress have scheduled a joint hearing this week on accountability and possible mistreatment of staff and whistleblowers at the UN World Intellectual Property Organization. The witness list for the hearing includes several high-level critics of the current WIPO director general who used to work for him. Meanwhile, observers are questioning what has happened to the report from an official UN investigation of WIPO.

Serbia Eyes Trademark Opposition System, Appoints New Patent Office Head

The Serbian government and parliament are currently drafting a new trademark law for the country which is to introduce the trademark opposition system into national IP legislation. Meanwhile, the cabinet of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic recently appointed Vladimir Maric as the new acting director of Serbia’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

US Congress Passes Customs Bill With Strong IP Enforcement Provisions

The United States Congress today (11 February) passed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, establishing clearer rules on customs officials' work to stop infringing goods from entering the US. The Act creates a new National IP Coordination Center for coordinating investigations, training and other activities.

US Industry IP Index Rates Nations

The United States Chamber of Commerce has released an index rating countries on their use and treatment of intellectual property and innovation, finding the United States to be top in the world. The report scores the largest emerging economies relatively…