Libraries Issue Report On Global Information Environment
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has issued a report analysing emerging trends in today's global information environment.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category Information and Communications Technology/ Broadcasting
WIPO Director Calls For “Re-Thinking” Intellectual Property
World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry last week issued a call for a redefinition of the functions of the IP system in the context of a fast-changing and globalised world.
Library Group Publishes User Guide To WIPO Marrakesh Treaty
The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) has released a user guide to the recently adopted “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.” LCA is an organisation representing three major North American library associations.
Patently Geopolitical: The New Frontier of Government And Market Interaction
The USTR's disapproval of the ITC order excluding Apple products from the US raises difficult issues about the relationship between public decision-making and private solutions -- and invites strategic policymaking by other governments.
US Justice Department Proposes Remedy In E-Books Case
The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) today announced its remedy proposal to address Apple’s anticompetitive conduct to raise e-book prices. The proposal follows a July decision by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York finding that Apple conspired with five major publishers to fix the prices of e-books in the United States.
International Coalition Counters TPP Secrecy With Open Copyright Forum
A coalition of international public interest and business organisations has launched an open, crowdsourced platform to discuss what copyright should look like under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.
Governments Disagree On GI Protection At TLD Level
Governments met recently to try to decide: Should special protection be provided online for geographical indications, in addition to trademark rights, geographical names and names of international organisations?
Infojustice: Setting The Record Straight On Fair Use In US
A paper examining the fair use doctrine in the United States, published by law professors Peter Jaszi and Matthew Sag and University of California at Berkeley fellow Gwen Hinze, addresses specific issues raised in an earlier submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) by the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts.
Motorola vs. Microsoft And The Future Of FRAND
Andrew Updegrove discusses the handing down by Justice James Robart of a 207-page opinion in a closely-watched dispute between Motorola and Microsoft, involving several patents that Google later acquired (along with the rights under the lawsuit) when it purchased Motorola Mobility. In that opinion, Robart sought to determine what, under all relevant circumstances, Google could fairly and reasonably charge Microsoft to infringe upon the essential claims in question when (for example) it builds and sells an Xbox.
Russia Adopts Measures Against Online Video Piracy
This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Federal law No.187-FZ “On Amending Separate Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Concerning the Questions of Protection of Intellectual Rights in Information and Telecommunication Networks.” The bill, which amends existing law, aims at boosting copyright protection online.