Category Information and Communications Technology/ Broadcasting

US Patent Reform Prospects Unclear; First-To-File Questioned

Patent reform may be chugging along in the United States Congress, but so far, with the Senate soon to be consumed with what could be a contentious Supreme Court nomination fight, and with President Obama still lacking a new director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, some are questioning whether reform will actually happen this year. In addition, a key "first-to-file" provision in the US bill to harmonise with other countries may be more appearance than substance.

Un caso sobre derechos de autor en Argentina pone en primer plano el acceso a la educación

Se ha entablado una demanda contra un profesor argentino de filosofía por una presunta violación de derechos de autor ante la publicación de versiones traducidas de las obras del filósofo francés Jacques Derrida en una página web, según informó el Grupo de Investigación CopySouth. El caso atrajo la atención de la comunidad internacional hacia las limitaciones en el acceso a la educación como resultado de los derechos de autor.

EPO Looks To Future Technologies, 2010 Leadership Change

PRAGUE - The current revolution in science and information was the topic of this year’s European Patent Forum, which brought together examiners, lawyers, policymakers and other patent professionals to discuss how the pace of the patent system can mesh with today’s whirlwind of technological change.

Meanwhile, European Patent Office (EPO) President Alison Brimelow informed her staff that she will “not be seeking extension” when her current three-year contract is up at the end of June 2010.

Mixed Review Of Swedish Pirate Bay Jail Sentences

While rightsholders hailed a “landmark” recent high-profile verdict against the operators of Swedish online file-sharing site The Pirate Bay (TPB), legal and digital rights analysts say it was no surprise. While the law of secondary liability for copyright infringement is by no means settled everywhere, TPB’s attitude toward intellectual property protections means the same decision could have happened in other countries as well, they said.