Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The United States stands united in its opposition to any international proposal to regulate the internet or to expand the jurisdiction of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) over the Web, US officials said on 31 May.
Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors without Borders) announced today that it has named a new executive director of its Access to Medicines Campaign, a high-impact advocacy initiative on international public health issues in Geneva and elsewhere. Today was the last day for current Executive Director Tido von Schoen-Angerer, who completed two three-year terms in the role.
The French "three-strike" law aimed at preventing illegal downloading of protected works on the internet, enacted in October 2009 after much controversy, may be modified by the newly elected French government, according to sources.
The 13th Commercial Court of Appeal recently affirmed the decision of the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg in Russia’s leading P2P case ruling that the social network vKontakte, a Facebook lookalike, is liable for copyright infringement.
The question of the use of material in the public domain for the inspiration of new works has been complicated in South Africa by legislation which purports to grant retrospective perpetual protection to so-called “traditional works”. A case pending in the South African High Court highlights the question of what is “traditional” and raises the question of to whom music companies will have to look in the future to obtain permission to use anything that smacks of a traditional flavour. Prof. Owen Dean asks: Could this be a disincentive to use traditional material belonging in the public domain and thus slow cultural expression?
With a generous pledge and a grand vision, Bill Gates launched the “Decade of Vaccines” two years ago. By endorsing a “Global Vaccine Action Plan” during the World Health Assembly, the world’s health authority stands as the lead agency in advancing the initiative.
One year since the adoption of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework, member states emphasised the importance of bio-sharing initiative and in some in cases raised concerns about the pace of implementation.
A full day and an evening of informal discussions was not enough for the World Intellectual Property Organization member states to reach agreement on the future work of the patent committee yesterday. Developed and developing countries held firm to their positions after reconvening in plenary past midnight, with disappointment as sole common ground.
Members of the World Health Organization at their annual meeting tomorrow will address proposals for ways to finance research and development for diseases which afflict mainly developing countries but for which there are not lucrative markets.
The annual World Health Assembly being held this week has a rare chance to achieve a breakthrough on health research for the global poor if it can agree to move forward on a proposed convention, proponents said at a recent meeting.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2012 was hailed as a success at its closing ceremony today by the secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Yet sharp debates about the reluctance of the UN to hire an executive secretary for the Internet Governance Forum, the reluctance of the ITU to allow the global public to see and contribute to the coming International Telecommunication Regulations (ITR), and the need for a new UN platform for enhanced cooperation clearly illustrated that the global internet governance ship is cruising through rough seas.
International standards can help economic, societal and environmental issues, Rob Steele, secretary general of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), told a press briefing this week. The organisation also has interests in intellectual property protection.