Category Innovation/ R&D

Texts On Broadcasting, Copyright Education Exceptions, Metamorphise At WIPO

Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee today received a large compilation text of proposals on limitations and exceptions for education and research, and promptly set about totally reworking it. They also reopened negotiations on a broadcasters’ rights treaty based on a new comparative table of proposals which they quickly deemed in need of redrafting. On broadcasting, the United States reopened a debate over whether the treaty should cover internet transmissions.

Considering Canada’s Supreme Court Decisions In This Week’s WIPO Proceedings

As members of the international intellectual property community prepare for their third day of the 24th session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), they are told to keep the spirit of Beijing alive, referring to the recently concluded Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances. However, there is reason to keep another country's spirit in copyright law in mind as well. Last week, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down five critically important copyright judgments that may very well colour the proposals made by member states at the SCCR.

More Copyright Treaties Sprouting At WIPO

Flush with the success of last month’s agreement on a new treaty on audiovisual performances, World Intellectual Property Organization members this week are propagating other possible legal instruments on aspects of copyright. Mainly under consideration this week are exceptions to copyright, along with broadcasters' rights, and on the first day of the meeting, new proposals emerged on exceptions for educational and research institutions.

EU Announces €11B R&D Programme For 2013

The European Commission yesterday announced its largest research budget ever, allocating €10.8 billion towards innovative research aimed at generating job growth for 2013. It issued a call for proposals that includes €1.5 billion targeted toward information and communications technologies.

UN Human Rights Council Tackles IPRs, Benefits Of Scientific Progress

The United Nations Human Rights Council last week adopted a resolution promoting cultural rights and diversity, with a commitment to hold a seminar next year on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. The resolution includes continuing support for a special observer on the issue who recently submitted a report raising questions about the impact of intellectual property rights on the diffusion of knowledge.