Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The webpage of the new Re:Search IP licensing database project at the World Intellectual Property Organization partnered with the BIO Ventures for Global Health foundation is now live, and shows a range of corporate, foundation and academic cosponsors lined up for tomorrow's launch.
The Philippines Intellectual Property Office has issued a statement in response to criticism that an IP enforcement meeting it is hosting this week with numerous corporate representatives "does not favor big corporations."
It is often said the internet was created in the United States, though techies around at the time are quick to point out the international efforts that were involved. Since its creation, US management of the internet domain name system has been internationalised through the creation and gradual independence of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). But the US has always kept its hand on one critical aspect of the internet - and is now putting it up for bid.
The World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations agency with nearly 200 member states, is under criticism for its connection with a Western industry-heavy event this week in the Philippines aimed at fighting intellectual property counterfeiting and piracy. The concern from technology industry and consumer advocates is that WIPO is involved in an overly one-sided event and did not sufficiently notify its diverse membership or the public of its activities.
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is trying to dispel its image as a non-transparent organisation and is working on a new user-friendly website with public access to a number of formerly reserved documents. Meanwhile, for the first time farmers protested outside the UPOV building in Geneva, as they seek to preserve the ancient practice of saving seeds from their harvests to use the next year.
A global meeting entitled “Enabling Creativity in the Digital Environment: Copyright Documentation and Infrastructure” was held at the World Intellectual Property Organization 13-14 October. Gathering representatives of governments, business leaders, academics, and other stakeholders, the conference was organised in the framework of the Development Agenda Thematic Project on Intellectual Property and the Public Domain.
The Protect IP Act, currently pending in the United States Senate, contains a range of steps designed to support the holders of American copyrights and trademarks by fighting a specific part of the online infringement problem: “rogue” websites whose primary or intended use is the infringement of US copyrights or trademarks. The bill would take promising new steps to diminish the financial rewards of IPR infringement - but it is saddled with ill-advised information blocking provisions that should, and probably will, be prevented from passing the Senate in its current form, writes David Robinson.
Years of deadlock in the Doha Round of trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has prompted some to question the institution’s effectiveness, and even, its relevance. But for others, the stalemate seems to be favourable for new ideas and new ways to think about global trade.
Several US trade associations representing the high-tech and communications industries raised concerns this week about a bill in Congress that would boost the US government's ability to take down websites over fears of intellectual property infringement. The tech industry groups said the bill could have a negative impact on the economy and jobs, they said.
The Obama administration's recent signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement may face a US constitutional challenge as a member of the US Senate today called into question the administration's power to negotiate and enter into such a trade agreement without Congress's approval.
Europe's biggest hacker organisation, the German Chaos Computer Club (CCC), has analysed trojan horse software used by the German police to spy on suspects in several cases. In its 20-page analysis, the club revealed that the software sent to the hackers for analysis allowed police to not only listen into Skype calls, but also to control and manipulate infected machines from a command server using IP address 207.158.22.134, sitting on a server of a commercial hosting provider in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States.
Social media has changed the old-fashioned rules of diplomacy, a senior US State Department advisor on social media told aspiring diplomats in Geneva today. The established rules of decorum and etiquette are giving way to a more interactive, less hierarchical system.