Original news and analysis on international IP policy
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…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - The banking industry and the intellectual property community will be keeping close tabs on the activities of a United Nations group next month when it meets to begin forming the foundation of IP rights treatment by the world's various secured financing systems.
By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch
A proposal by some of the world's largest mobile phone equipment manufacturers to limit royalty fees on a next-generation wireless technology is the latest in a series of initiatives to try and control spiralling intellectual property costs.
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch
The German Parliament last Friday passed changes in copyright, patent and other intellectual property-related laws with the aim of better enforcement of IP violations in civil rights cases.
The changes transpose the much-debated European Union IP Enforcement Directive (IPRED) into German law. IPRED contains general obligations, precautionary and corrective measures, damages and extended information rights for rights owners in civil law complaints aimed at third parties like internet service providers (ISPs).
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch
BRUSSELS - Changes to intellectual property rules may be needed to facilitate the use of technology aimed at addressing climate change, the head of the European Patent Office (EPO) has suggested.
Next month, the 34-country EPO will host what it claims is the first major international conference to examine the patenting issues raised by global warming.
Alison Brimelow, the EPO's president, said the European Patent Forum in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana will give an opportunity to exchange ideas on whether the international system for regulating intellectual property should be modified.
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…
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
The copyright system is not a balance but a "constant conflict" whose nature must be continually debated, UK Intellectual Property Office Chief Executive Ian Fletcher said at a recent seminar on the future of copyright. The office is in the throes of a consultation on possible new copyright law exceptions, the most controversial of which is a proposal to allow limited format-shifting.
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - The Japanese Patent Office in April will introduce a new policy called JP-First, which aims to release patent examination results of applications first filed with the JPO to major patent offices throughout the world, including in some developing countries. The initiative and others could be steps toward allowing patent filers to bypass an established international treaty on patents, sources said. Also at the event, government officials and academics also discussed copyright developments in Canada. US experts argued that Canada is not doing its part to crack down on piracy, while the Canadians said they are actually setting the bar in some areas in terms of protecting copyrighted works.
By Catherine Saez
Switzerland has adopted a new copyright law strengthening the rights of performers, producers and copyright owners online that appears less stringent than similar legislation adopted in some peer countries, according to observers. Nevertheless, some activists still see the Swiss law as jeopardising users' rights.
By Kaitlin Mara
The year 2008 is one of consolidation and maturation for alternatives to traditional intellectual property rights made possible by the ease of information transfer via the Internet. The free and open source software community is growing more prominent, and the access to knowledge communities are expanding to include a broader range and deeper understanding of their issues.