Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a new resolution on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the internet. The resolution ties such rights to development, and is said to be the first UN resolution to put online human rights on par with those offline.
Today’s overwhelming defeat of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by the European Parliament could have a resounding effect on the treaty’s prospects for survival, according to sources. Meanwhile, public interest groups are celebrating and copyright holders fuming.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on 3 July announced the proposal of a new provision for a trade agreement that will put copyright exceptions and limitations to a 3-step test. The text of the provision was not made available to the public, and reaction to the news by public interest groups has been cautious.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - The multi-stakeholder model of internet governance is the responsibility of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Fadi Chehadé, designated new CEO of ICANN said at the 44th meeting of the private body in Prague last week.
The United States government on 2 July announced it has awarded a contract to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to manage a key underlying function of the internet for up to 7 years.
The United Kingdom government will publish draft updates to the UK copyright licensing system later this week, keeping strong criminal penalties, it said today.
The UN World Intellectual Property Organization is centre stage when it comes to international IP policymaking, and has hosted great progress during the past 20 years by all accounts. But apart from updates and modifications to existing treaties, and its 2007 Development Agenda, its members have not managed to complete a major new treaty since 1996. Until now.
More than 130 members of the United States Congress have sent a letter to the US Trade Representative demanding greater access to the still-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, while a new bill is being introduced to reform US trade policy. And another Congress member who earlier publicly leaked the intellectual property rights chapter of the agreement has sent a request to be included as a member of the US delegation to the negotiations.
United Kingdom communications regulator Ofcom today published three documents on digital copyright infringement, including a draft code requiring large internet service providers (ISPs) to inform customers of allegations that their internet connection has been used to infringe copyright, and consultations on the code and on cost-sharing.
The UN International Telecommunication Union is conducting constructive and potentially lucrative negotiations to update global telecommunications regulations, but the message keeps getting garbled in public fora, ITU officials said.
The next president and CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was named today.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today issued a declaration in support of public service media's role in society, including as a driver of innovation and a trusted independent voice.