Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Alicia Greenidge, until recently director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), plans to launch a new platform in Geneva to “build relationships between developing countries, governments, organisations and industries,” according to a press release from…
The spectre of gastronomic imperfection has long haunted connoisseurs of the fine foods of regions in countries like France and Italy. But Canada has been less concerned about the protecting its homegrown flavours. This means the Canadians are powerless to…
As a media crackdown in Iran suppressed major news outlets, and even, reportedly, major social networking sites such as Facebook, social media site Twitter has become critical in providing up-to-the-second news as to what is happening on the ground in…
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has announced that it will revoke an illegitimate patent on internet subdomains that was seen as potentially threatening to the public domain. The US patent, held by a company called Hoshiko, claimed to…
Media giants Virgin Media and Universal Music have teamed up to create the world’s first unlimited digital download service that comes with the blessing of content owners – though only for residents of the United Kingdom. Britons using Virgin Media’s…
An expert body on traditional knowledge as it relates to an access and benefit-sharing regime on genetic resources began discussion Tuesday in India. They will examine the way in which proposed aspects of the regime relate to indigenous communities and…
Facebook users starting Saturday will get the chance to add a nickname of their choice to the web address of their profiles. These new usernames, which will make Facebook addresses easier to find and easier to remember, are being assigned…
Warnings about a possible split of the single root zone underlying the global internet have been made by internet governance experts outside the United States following a hearing of the US congressional Subcommittee on Communication Technologies and the Internet on…
The Swedish Pirate Party harvested 7.1 percent of the Swedish vote in preliminary results from the European Parliament elections on Sunday, 7 June, according to official sources. The Party aims to fundamentally reform copyright law, get rid of the patent…
The practice of brand name companies paying generic manufacturers to delay the entry of lower-priced generics into the market could become illegal, if a bill before the United States House of Representatives passes. The bill (available here [pdf]) is “to…
China is blocking its citizens’ access to leading international social media and news websites in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square anti-democracy massacre in Beijing. Media and information sharing sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, and…
Names and biographies of the seven people who will likely lead the World Intellectual Property Organization secretariat under Director General Francis Gurry have been officially released on the WIPO website here [pdf]. Intellectual Property Watch reported on the new deputy…