Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By William New The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Monday began a new era in the wake of a failed decade of negotiations for a broadcasters’ rights treaty. But it will tackle its new agenda including limitations and…
The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Reporter features the most important news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the IP community at the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Geneva missions, regional and national IP…
Debra Harry, a member of the Northern Paiute indigenous group from Pyramid Lake, Nevada (US) is the founder and executive director of the Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism, which assists indigenous peoples in the protection of their traditional knowledge and…
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – A formal complaint has been lodged with the European Parliament over how its information technology systems rely almost exclusively on software manufactured by Microsoft. Advocates of open standard software, which is…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - Business leaders and some global government officials on Monday urged ratification of a global anti-counterfeiting treaty and proposed a series of new strategies aimed at curbing pirated goods they say not only harm developed and developing countries' economies, but their citizens' health as well.
Meanwhile, European Union participation in the negotiations has come into question, and non-governmental critics have raised concerns about the need for a treaty and the inclusiveness of the negotiations.
By William New The “historic” first day of the new World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) opened with a focus on procedure, a focus likely to carry through the whole first week, according to participants.…
By Kaitlin Mara Representatives of global indigenous groups were in Geneva last week to exchange views on the role of intellectual property in the protection of indigenous and traditional knowledge and folklore. Indigenous groups participated an informal meeting held on…
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch MUNICH – Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court this week decided that infiltration of personal computers, laptops or other information technology devices of possible suspects by law enforcement violates the basic right of “confidentiality and…
By William New The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional knowledge and other issues concluded a weeklong meeting with a compromise way forward that a range of government officials said was a positive outcome that maintains committee progress. “The…
By Kaitlin Mara Free software and open standards proponents met this week in Geneva to discuss the importance of standards-setting and to debate the role of patent protections and advocate freedom of information sharing in the digital economy. Organised by…
By William New Developing countries this week are seeking ways to generate progress in a World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional cultural expressions and other issues of importance to developing countries. But developed countries and to some extent the…