Original news and analysis on international IP policy
US software giant Microsoft said Thursday that users globally have started to join the fight against software piracy by sending in over 150,000 reports about problems with fake Microsoft products over the last two years.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Informal negotiations appeared to bring the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property within reach of consensus on a coordination mechanism for the Development Agenda early this morning, but this afternoon governments were unable to overcome remaining differences.
قد تعيق مبادرات مكافحة التزييف الوصول إلى الأدوية لكنها لا تخفف مشكلة العقارات المزيفة، خصوصاً في الدول النامية، وذلك بحسب ما قاله الأعضاء المشاركون في حدث نظم مؤخراً من قبل معهد المجتمع المفتوح.
Brazil has announced the list of 222 American products that could suffer retaliation with tariff rates of more than 100 percent of the value when imported to Brazil. The list could be followed by another including potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in non-tariff items related to intellectual property rights such as lower-priced patented pharmaceuticals.
Selon des sources ayant participé à la réunion du Comité consultatif sur l'application des droits de l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI), qui s’est tenue du 2 au 4 novembre, l’implication proactive des pays en développement vis-à-vis du programme de travail sur l’application des droits de propriété intellectuelle s’est accentuée.
Conservative US radio talk show host Glenn Beck, known for bad-mouthing others on radio and opposition television station Fox News, has lost a case at the World Intellectual Property Organization trying to force the takedown of website parodying him, www.GlennBeckRapedAndMurderedAYoungGirlIn1990.com.