Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch After another heated debate, the European Parliament today voted down several amendments aimed at strengthening network neutrality in the new telecommunications package which has been on the agenda of the European Union for…
At the conclusion of another round of talks for a bilateral trade agreement in Miami today, Europe and the United States negotiators said they remain far apart on the issue of protection of geographical indications. But they made progress on pharmceuticals and medical products, they said.
Governments and international organizations are failing to ensure adequate protections to whistleblowers and sources of information, according to a new report* by the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, David Kaye.
On 15-16 December 2015, government officials from more than 190 countries will meet in New York to discuss the future of the internet. They will review progress made in achieving the goals set forth 10 years ago at the Tunis World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) meeting. The aptly named WSIS+10 Review is a pivotal point in determining the fate of the open internet – discussions at the review can influence how the internet is governed for the next decade, as well as whether the internet will continue as a means of economic development and opportunity for the global economy.
Alongside this week’s WSIS+10 stakeholder meetings at the UN, Intellectual Property Watch’s William New sat down with the Senior Director of Global Internet Policy at the Internet Society, Constance Bommelaer, to discuss what to expect in New York and the impact this meeting will have on the future of the internet.
International trade agreements are sometimes demonised as the Grand Plan imposed by major powers in cahoots with multinational corporations. Intellectual property rights is a particular target, as is the case currently with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and previously with the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). "The Making of the TRIPS Agreement", the insightful, unofficial collected memoirs of 17 of the agreement’s key authors, plus one editor, challenges that view in two ways, writes Peter Ungphakorn.
Valuation of intellectual property is of growing importance to small and medium-sized enterprises in getting loans from financial institutions, IP office representatives said at a side event to the World Intellectual Property Organisation General Assembly this month.
Panellists at a recent discussion on women and intellectual property proposed steps institutions and women themselves could take to increase the number of female entrepreneurs, in order for the IP system to benefit men and women equally.
At the recent TEDx CERN event, Intellectual Property Watch caught up with bioethicist and legal philosopher Matthew Liao, to reflect on challenging moral questions raised by new advances in computing and neuroscience allowing for the manipulation of human thoughts and memories. Liao reflected on whether we should use drugs and technology to erase traumatic memories, and if individuals have a moral obligation to themselves to remember certain events.
Amidst rising voices that time is of essence to finalise the oversight transition for core internet functions from the United States government to the community of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), governments are divided over what their role should be.
Near dawn today, World Intellectual Property Organization members agreed to continue working in committee toward an international agreement or agreements on the protection of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore, rescuing the committee for another two years. Members also agreed to hold a final treaty negotiation on a design law treaty in early 2017, but left differences on inclusion of disclosure of origin to later.
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization in a late-night session agreed on the budget for the UN agency for the next biennium after a deep debate over financing of a registration system for appellations of origin. Meanwhile, negotiators went back to work toward the early morning hours to finish outstanding issues of WIPO offices in other countries, the future of the traditional knowledge committee, and the program of the copyright committee.
At the annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly over the past week, exhibitions have highlighted colourful and innovative ideas from around the world. It also includes an exhibition of historical documents from the WIPO archives.