Category Information and Communications Technology/ Broadcasting

Did WIPO Get Cool? UN IPR Agency Joins Creative Commons Initiative

The World Intellectual Property Organization exists to protect and promote intellectual property rights, including copyright. As a large international organisation, it is also a producer of a great amount of data and information that users around the world want to access.

New Opinion Of The European Copyright Society On “Reprobel”- Case (C-572/13)

From the Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI), University of Strasbourg: On 5 September 2015, the European Copyright Society issued an Opinion on the conclusions presented on June 11, 2015 by the Advocate-General Pedro Cruz Villalón in the HP Belgium v. Reprobel-case pending before the Court of Justice of the EU (case C-572/13), following a request for preliminary ruling from the Brussels Court of Appeal (Belgium) lodged on 8 November 2013.

Your “Reality” Must Be Original To Win Copyright Protection

Since the debut of Candid Camera in the late 1940s, unscripted television of varying genres (from game shows to documentaries) has been a staple of American television. Not until the worldwide success of shows such as Survivor, however, did the genre, and in particular the staged competition variety of unscripted “reality” television, become a dominant source of programming in the US market. Reality television often takes on a familiar pattern – as the season progresses contestants are eliminated by audience and “expert” votes leaving one person or couple to win the grand prize. The myriad ways in which to package this formula has no limits, and in light of the success of such shows, a vast number of people are creating and pitching what they believe to be both original and the next Survivor. And that leads to lawsuits.

Did Kendall And Kylie Jenner Know Outcome Of Their Domain Dispute Before Filing At WIPO?

Teens are way out front when it comes to tech stuff and the internet. So it's totally not surprising that American teen tv stars Kendall and Kylie Jenner announced winning their domain name disputes even before the disputes were filed at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The Jenner sisters are part of the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reality television show.

South African Government Conference Reveals Views On Draft Copyright Bill

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- Stakeholders from various positions of influence in the realm of intellectual property - including government - put a fine tooth comb through the South African Copyright Amendment Bill at a consultative conference called by the Department of Trade and Industry yesterday.

The Intersection Of Trade Secret Law And Social Media Privacy Legislation

By Eric F. Barton, Esq., Seyfarth Shaw LLP There is no question that social media privacy issues now permeate the workplace. In an attempt to provide further guidance and regulation in this area, since April 2012, a growing number of…

US Postpones Domain Name System Handover At Least A Year, Maybe Four

The United States Department of Commerce office planning to relinquish national control over a remaining key component of the internet domain name system has said it will take at least until September 2016, putting off the transition that had been targeted for next month.

Was Google’s Unexpected Move To Create Alphabet About ‘Genericization’?

When Google announced on 10 August that it was creating an umbrella organisation called Alphabet, encompassing Google itself and its many satellite companies, word spread like fire. The unexpected move left everybody guessing, and some thinking about Google’s effort to protect its valuable brand and keep its name from becoming a generic term for searching the internet.

Conference Looks At Public Interest In South Africa’s Draft Copyright Bill

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – A conference here this week elicited a robust debate amongst intellectual property stakeholders in South Africa about the objectives of the far-reaching draft Copyright Amendment Bill.

IP-Watch Seeks Part-Time Fundraising/Outreach Expert

Intellectual Property Watch is seeking a dynamic person to help expand our fundraising and outreach activities. [Position closed]