Race For WTO Director General Down To Five Candidates
The number of candidates seeking to be the next director general of the World Trade Organization has dropped from nine down to five.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category IP-Watch Briefs
New SMS Tool To Report Non-Tariff Trade Barriers At African Borders
Small traders and businesses facing barriers to moving goods across African borders now can send a mobile phone text message alert that could help resolve the problems more quickly.
Lack Of Progress In Closing Digital Divide Gap, Says World Economic Forum
A significant gap remains in advanced and developing economies' access to information technologies, according to the 2013 "Global Information Technology Report" released today by the World Economic Forum.
South Korea Military Fights High Price Of Patented R&D
Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) Commissioner Young-min Kim has joined military leaders and patent attorneys in signing a “Working agreement for the building of a military intellectual property (IP) ecosystem." A key aim is to avoid high-cost private-sector patent monopolies on military R&D.
New Draft Traditional Knowledge Bill Published In South Africa
An alternative South African bill on the protection of traditional knowledge has been published in the official Government Gazette, and it would create a new system of intellectual property right specific to TK, according to South Africa experts.
Study: Misuse Of Patent System Affecting Health System In Australia
Research from the University of Melbourne has found that patents may be keeping pharmaceuticals expensive in Australia, but said that most of the patents are being taken out by companies that are not the originators of the drugs.
Health Research Colloquium Calls On Countries To Invest More In R&D
During the recent Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) Colloquium 2013, participants highlighted the value of research and development in supporting public health and the importance of building self-reliance for countries through government investment, according to organisers. Some of the themes discussed during the event will be included in a report on public health policy, which will be published in The Lancet later this year.
Brand Owners Seek Their Own ICANN Constituency Group
Brand owners that have applied with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for their brand’s top level domain (TLD) are seeking to create their own constituency group.
ICANN CEO Wants To Shift “Centre Of Gravity” Away From US
In an effort to improve internationalisation, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will open hubs in Singapore and Istanbul, to serve the Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa respectively. ICANN's headquarters in Los Angeles will become the hub serving the Americas.
Six EU Countries Take Legal Action Against Google Over Privacy
The Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL), the French privacy body, said this week in a statement that it will take legal action against Google after the search engine failed to implement changes to its privacy policies. They were joined by data protection agencies from five other European countries.
US Trade Office Calls For Comments On Transatlantic Trade Deal
Another step toward launching negotiations on a European Union-United States trade agreement has been made as the Office of the US Trade Representative filed a request for comments on the deal and announced a forthcoming public hearing.
US Court Rules TV Streaming Service Does Not Violate Copyright Law
The Second United States Circuit Court of Appeals today determined that online live television broadcasting service Aereo doesn’t violate US copyright law, upholding a lower court ruling. Aereo is a cloud computing-based service in New York City.