Category Enforcement

Promoting Education Rights In South African Copyright Reform

Eve Gray and Desmond Oriakhogba write: The publishing industry is making a mad dash to defeat South Africa’s adoption of a fair use rights in Parliament on Wednesday. Their latest effort includes an alarmist petition being circulated among authors. It is interesting to note that, while one of the most persistent and loud complaints in these protests has been that the drafting of the new legislation was badly handled, our perception, along with a number of experienced observers in the process, has been that the level of discussion and debate; the degree of participation and engagement of government representatives; and the consensus on the needs to be addressed, was of a higher standard and the debate much better informed than in previous such attempts at reform over the past decades. It should also be noted that, while it is true that international publishers might have much to lose in the new law, local publishers, authors and students have much to gain. It is time to lower the heat and concentrate on the facts and context of what is before Parliament.

US IP Stakeholders Seek To Strengthen Public Support For IP, Ensure Future US Competitiveness

NEW YORK -- United States intellectual property stakeholders from academic, business and legal backgrounds gathered recently to discuss how to increase public support to strengthen the intellectual property rights system in the US, in light of China’s steady rise in numbers of patent and trademark filings. US IP stakeholders argued that developing public awareness and understanding of IP is key to building this support, with some holding diverging views on how to go about this.

WIPO Copyright Committee Closing Chair’s Text Shows Way Forward On Broadcasting Treaty, Exceptions, Resale Right

The World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights concluded its work in a weeklong meeting early today, a rare occurrence, after agreeing on ways forward for a draft treaty on broadcasting, limitations and exceptions for a range of groups such as libraries and educational institutions, and additional topics such as creation of a task force on artists' resale royalty rights, and upcoming regional meetings. The final chair's text below shows the details.

Interviews With National Publishing Industry Attendees At WIPO’s Copyright Committee

During this week's World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee meeting, Intellectual Property Watch had the opportunity to meet observers from the international publishing sector who are following the committee's discussions closely. In Geneva at the invitation of the International Publishers Association (IPA), several publishers shared their thoughts about WIPO's work as well as their experience from their own markets. The interviews below represent a range of perspectives, from three different types of markets worldwide.

Civil Society Offers Range Of Advice To WIPO Negotiators On Broadcast Treaty

Civil society doesn’t see things from behind a window, but takes the lead in international policy negotiations to discuss issues that affect everyday life. At this week's World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee meeting, some of the observers took the floor to let delegates know their opinion on the crucial matter of an international treaty on broadcasting under negotiation.

A Look At The Proposed EU IP Exception To Promote Generic, Biosimilar Industry Competitiveness

The European Commission has proposed an exception to the extended period of patent protection that the European Union provides to original drug manufacturers for certain products, in order to boost the competitiveness of EU generic and biosimilar industries in global markets. The exception will allow EU generic and biosimilar companies to manufacture protected drugs for export during this patent extension period. Stakeholders are so far unhappy with the exception. Meanwhile, studies analyse its potential economic impacts and legal implications, and the Commission remains confident that safeguards it is putting in place will keep the lower-priced medicines from making their way back into the EU.

China’s Xi Jinping Signals Higher Focus On IP, Market Opening To Ease US-Sino Tensions, But Global Leadership Friction In Innovation To Persist

SHANGHAI, China -- The President of China, Xi Jinping, in a keynote address on 5 November to political and business leaders attending the opening of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai sent a strong diplomatic signal that Beijing will push ahead with further opening up of the economy to more international competition. In a move to try and ease US-Sino tensions Xi also indicated China will take proactive steps to boost protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), including harsher penalties against violators - a major grievance for the United States and the pivotal issue in the escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies.

WIPO Members Look At Protection Of Country Names, GIs, Icons

A number of countries are voicing concerns about their country name being used by trademark applicants with no relation to the country, riding on the country's reputation or geographical relevance. They are also worried about their country name being used as an internet top-level domain name. Those are among the issues being discussed this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks, along with questions on the protection of geographical indications, and of icons and typeface on the internet.