Occupy IP: New Economy Businesses Clash With Old
It may be too much, too late for content providers finally trying to tame the internet, and a fresh approach is needed, writes Bruce Berman.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category Information and Communications Technology/ Broadcasting
US Senate Postpones PIPA Vote; EU Commissioner Joined Opposition
The new age of lobbying through online public engagement showed its effectiveness today as the Senate announced the postponement of next week's vote on controversial anti-piracy legislation that led to unprecedented protests on the internet.
FAQ: What SOPA Would Mean To You
A list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the much-disputed anti-piracy legislation before the United States Congress has been published by CNET News. It also reported that some 4.5 million people signed the petition on Google during the blackout protest yesterday.
Websites Everywhere Dark In Protest Of US Anti-Piracy Legislation
In an unprecedented action suggesting intellectual property rights have bumped up against an access threshold, thousands of websites have gone "dark" today in protest against two draft anti-piracy and counterfeiting bills in the US Congress that the protestors say would harm freedoms online. The protest includes major technology firms like Google, Mozilla, Wikipedia, Flickr, Reddit, Vimeo and WordPress.
All Eyes On US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA): Fate Of Bill Now Unclear
As of today, no one is really sure what the future holds for the controversial internet anti-piracy bills in the United States.
ICANN Announces New TLD Program Start
On the eve of the start of the application period for new generic top level domains (gTLDs) on the internet, the chair of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Steve Crocker, described the program as a "major step in the globalisation of the internet." For the first time there will be equal access and an equal invitation to users from all over the world to have generic domain names, Crocker said at the National Press Club in Washington, DC today.
ICANN Says Domain Expansion Won’t Hurt UN, WTO
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is launching a large expansion of the available top-level domains on the internet on 12 January, has told international organisations the expansion will not hurt them.
NTIA Supports New Domains – Phased In, With Protection
The US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced its support for additional policies for new generic top-level domains on the internet, with conditions. The Commerce Department agency will stick to the 12 January start of the application period for new domains, but it has requested that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) take additional precautions when opening up the process.
Dates Set For WIPO Audiovisual Treaty Negotiation In Beijing
The dates have been set for this year's high-level negotiation for a treaty on audiovisual performances at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Evidence Sought For UK Study On Digital Copyright Exchange
A "call for evidence" has been issued for an independent feasibility study on developing a Digital Copyright Exchange in the United Kingdom. Members of the "creative industries" are being asked to respond to the assertion made in a preceding study by Professor Ian Hargreaves that the current copyright licensing system is not fit for the digital age, as well as definitions used by Hargreaves.
Most-Read IP-Watch Posts Of 2011 Tell Story Of International IP Policymaking
The most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of 2011 demonstrated the versatility and range of our readers from around the globe, from an intense focus on international and national copyright issues to bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements, to issues in India and Brazil, patent laws, patents in agriculture, scientific knowledge, and of course, policies emerging in Geneva at the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and elsewhere at the multilateral level. Most of all, they tell the story of the year gone by, with clear signals of what's to come in 2012.
Last Parliament Standing: Europe Final Stronghold Of ACTA Critics
With a recent decision by the Agriculture and Fishery Council of the European Union, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) seems to have made a big leap forward. And with recent breakthroughs in other countries, ACTA’s final hurdle may be in the European parliaments.