WIPO Amends Patent Cooperation Treaty Fee Schedule
World Intellectual Property Organization members have approved an amendment to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) aimed at lowering fees for a greater number of users.
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Lisbon Agreement Members To Move Ahead With Treaty Talks Despite Resistance
The revision of a World Intellectual Property Organization agreement to include geographical indications, raising their status, was challenged in vain by some countries in the past week. In addition, this week’s WIPO General Assembly has been working intensively on a range of other issues.
Creators Push For Fair Remuneration At WIPO General Assembly
Creative artists came to this week's World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly to encourage governments to build a sustainable future for creators and ensure fair remuneration for their work. This may mean looking for ways to redistribute the value of content.
For Experts, Questions Still Abound On IP And Standard-Setting
BRUSSELS – Intellectual property experts at the annual conference of the European Policy for Intellectual Property Association (EPIP) discussed a range of topics including IP rights and standard-setting. The conclusion? Many questions remain unanswered.
‘Google’ Not A Generic Term Yet, US Court Says
Googling may be a ubiquitous fact of life, but the company behind the term still has trademark rights, a US court has found.
Old (former IPR-Thieving) Napster v New (IPR-Thieving) Napster.fm?
The World Intellectual Property Organization this week released the decision in an internet domain name dispute in which the current incarnation of the once-wildly successful Napster music-sharing website successfully forced a website called napster.fm to shut down over intellectual property rights violations. Is Napster still cool?
New European Commissioners Announced Under Changed Structure
The structure of new European Commissioners and top officials was announced today, showing changes to the handling on intellectual property issues and many others.
New US Ambassador Hamamoto Highlights Internet Governance, Ebola, IP
Newly arrived United States Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Pamela Hamamoto last week met with journalists for the first time by highlighting internet governance and Ebola, with a mention of intellectual property rights, among other issues.
EU High Court Parody Ruling Could Create Problems, IP Attorneys Say
A 3 September European Court of Justice decision on the concept of “parody” is a controversial attempt to harmonise copyright law judicially where legislative efforts have failed, and raises more questions than it answers, intellectual property lawyers said. But the decision won't affect implementation of the United Kingdom's new copyright exception for parody, the UK Intellectual Property Office said.
Flexible IPR Approach For European Joint Innovation Projects
Applicants to the European “Innovation Communities” initiative have until 10 September to submit joint innovation proposals in the areas of healthy aging and raw materials. The aim is to create new organisations compliant with the European grant programme Horizon 2020, which will operate under flexible intellectual property rights’ policies in collaborative innovation projects.
Review Of WIPO Programmes, Staff: Lisbon Agreement, Global Challenges, Geographic Diversity
The World Intellectual Property Organization Program and Budget Committee is meeting this week to scrutinise the UN agency’s inner workings. At the meeting, the director general’s report on programme performance gave member countries the occasion to comment on WIPO’s various…
Biosimilar Medicines Need Strong Regulation, IP Crucial For Innovation, Pharma Says
Biosimilar medicines might prove to be a new reservoir for innovation for the pharmaceutical industry. However, the complexity of their manufacture needs a stringent regulatory framework, according to the industry.