Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Formal negotiations on an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) are expected to commence next week in Geneva, according to a European Commission official, even as a leaked United States trade office paper is drawing…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - The groundwork has been laid at the United Nations by governments, non-governmental organisations, and intellectual property and finance experts on how to use intellectual property assets to encourage credit around the globe while not interfering with intellectual property laws.
By Kaitlin Mara The next United States president must make access to knowledge and technology policy a priority, participants at a conference on computers, freedom, and privacy protection last week told representatives of the leading presidential campaigns. Campaign representatives for…
By William New The annual World Health Assembly on Saturday adopted a global strategy aimed at filling the research gap for diseases afflicting developing countries that places the UN agency squarely in global intellectual property policymaking and despite compromises is…
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – The European Commission has recommended that a forum involving creative artists and the consumer industry should be established to determine the future of private copying levies. Twenty-one of the European Union’s…
By Kaitlin Mara NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The efficacy of the patent system is not equivalent across all industries, and appears to be particularly ineffective in software, said a panel at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference held at Yale…
By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch
The United States can't make up its mind. On one hand, the country has signed at least nine international agreements that explicitly provide a new digital right for copyright owners: the exclusive right to make their works electronically available to the public. On the other hand, the US courts are uncertain whether this "making available" right exists under US law.
US courts have split over this issue, with some recognising the right and others rejecting it. But a new trend may be emerging. In the last four months, four US federal district courts have ruled that "making available" is not a right recognised by US copyright law.
By William New [Update: The assembly reached agreement on the global strategy, but the final text is not available, according to the WHO.] Draft texts of a global strategy, plan of action and resolution on ways to stimulate research into…
A draft resolution, global strategy, and plan of action on intellectual property and public health were circulated Saturday at the 19-24 May World Health Assembly.
The drafts show areas of agreement in the weeklong assembly, and difficult areas that remained to be agreed on Saturday.
By William New Down to the final hours before the closing ceremonies of this year’s World Health Assembly, governments have nearly completed work on a global strategy to stimulate research into neglected diseases disproportionately affecting poor populations. But work skipped…
[Note: new 23 May draft text of strategy and plan of action posted to IP-Watch Subscriber section] By William New Negotiators of a global strategy to boost innovation in and access to treatments for under-researched diseases largely afflicting the poor…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - A United Nations group on Monday began debate on a publication aimed at helping the world's governments harmonise their secured financing and intellectual property laws.
The UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group VI is meeting in New York this week to hammer out differences various parties have on issues including transfer of intellectual property rights, creation of a security right, registries, and intellectual property rights related to tangible assets when those rights are used as collateral to secure credit.