WIPO To Discuss Role Of Patents In Access To Water
The World Intellectual Property Organization has waded into the global debates over access to safe drinking water, with an upcoming workshop on patents and water purification technologies.
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Ukraine WTO Trademark Dispute Vs. Australia Tests Public Health Measures
Ukraine yesterday filed a World Trade Organization dispute settlement case against Australia for its 2011 law requiring plain packaging on tobacco in an effort to address the severe public health problem related to its use. The case could represent an important measure of the power of trade interests versus public health decisions by governments.
Blocking Of Internet Traffic Common In Europe – EU Report
Operators and internet service providers in Europe resort mostly to blocking voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) and peer-to-peer traffics to guard the security of and prevent congestion on their networks, according to a preliminary report from the European Union telecommunications regulator, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).
US Aims To Boost Its Efforts Against Overseas Infringers
US President Barack Obama wants the country’s Justice Department to get by with a bit less money next fiscal year – but not when it comes to prosecuting overseas infringers of American IP rights.
WHO Under Siege By Private Sector, Group Asserts
The World Health Organization is under siege by private sector forces using their financial leverage to gain undue influence in the financially beleaguered United Nations agency, a developing country-oriented group has said.
Costa Rican President Tells ICANN Of Concern Over Internet Restrictions
Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla opened the 43rd meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in San Jose with concern about “attempts to regulate the network among which we have the Stop Online Piracy Act seeking protection of intellectual property by restrictions on the addressing and the Protect intellectual Property Act seeking to extend some national jurisdiction towards the entire cyberspace.”
India Grants First Compulsory Licence, For Bayer Cancer Drug
In a move welcomed by many in the international community, India has granted an application, its first, from a homegrown generic drug maker to manufacture and sell a patented cancer drug under a compulsory licence.
Trademark Filings Reach Record High; Industrial Designs Climb As Well
International trademark applications filed in 2011 reached a record high of 42,270 applications and a year-on-year growth of 6.5 per cent as businesses resolved to protect their brands despite last year's shaky economic situation, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reported today.
US Government Scuttles Plan To Share Control Of The Internet
The US Commerce Department National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has cancelled its request for proposal for the management of the internet root zone file, a core piece of infrastructure for the global domain name system (DNS) that helps users to navigate the net.
European High Court Hears Case With Impact On Buying Software Online
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) this week held a public hearing on a German case involving software companies Oracle and UsedSoft, the second step to a ruling that could potentially set new rules for buying and downloading software on the internet.
Paper: States Need To Be Cautious With Internet Intermediary Liability
A new paper from a Yale Law lecturer has outlined some general principles that governments must consider when imposing liability for internet intermediaries amid the lack of an international law covering online third-party liability.
A High-Level Collegium Calls For New Global Governance
A collegium of scientists, philosophers and former heads of state launched an appeal yesterday in Geneva for world governance they called "Global Solidarity, Global Responsibility."