Category Enforcement

Restoration Of French Philosopher’s Work Online In Argentina Seen As An Opening

An Argentinean judge’s recent decision to drop charges against a philosophy professor for alleged copyright infringement is being seen as a stepping stone to drawing attention to copyright issues in Latin America, according to advocates.
Professor Horacio Potel created open source websites to post foreign philosophers’ work in Spanish. The websites were named “Nietzsche in Spanish,” “Heidegger in Spanish,” and “Derrida in Spanish.”

WIPO Traditional Knowledge Negotiators Dodging Roadblocks

How to handle work between meetings on creating a "legal instrument" caused a stalemate in informal negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization traditional knowledge committee this evening. Unable to reach agreement on the composition and activities of the group, delegates have put the negotiations on hold and will reconvene informally tomorrow (Friday) morning.

IP Issues May Go To ‘Higher Political Level’ In Copenhagen Amid Difficulties

COPENHAGEN - While intellectual property rights has been ‘the elephant in the room’ in the climate change negotiations so far, officials predict that it could become the subject of heated negotiations - even at a higher political level - during the ongoing high-level meeting in Copenhagen. On the third day of the meeting, IP issues had already appeared in a proposed negotiation text.

False Metaphors And Sinking Ships: Patry On Copyright In Geneva

“In international law we like metaphors,” said William Patry, Senior Copyright Counsel at Google and author of the recent book Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars. One of the most pervasive of these is “a rising tide lifts all boats,” a metaphor whose danger lies in appearing logical. But making theory into copyright policy will benefit neither content creators nor those interested in preserving access to knowledge, he said.

WTO Ends Ministerial With No Agreements, Modest Treatment Of IP

The World Trade Organization today wrapped up its first ministerial meeting in four years with no decisions or breakthroughs (as expected) but an informal agreement to consider by March whether members can complete the longstanding round of negotiations in 2010. Meanwhile, intellectual property issues played a tangential role in ministers’ discussions, but made several notable appearances.

Les délégués espèrent trouver un consensus sur la coordination du Plan d’action pour le développement en avril

Lors de négociations informelles tenues vendredi dernier dans la matinée, le Comité du développement et de la propriété intellectuelle semble s’être approché d’un consensus sur le mécanisme de coordination du Plan d’action pour le développement. Cependant, l’après-midi même, les gouvernements ont été incapables de surmonter les divergences qui subsistaient.

WTO GI Register Draft Report Sees Areas Of Convergence

The outgoing chair’s draft report on progress at the World Trade Organization toward establishing a mandated register for geographical indications praises recent work and sees hope for convergence on outstanding issues such as legal effects and participation, according to a copy obtained by Intellectual Property Watch. But it details key differences on the issues that remain.