Debate Over Inclusion Of IP In NetMundial Outcome Document
Final decisions are pending if and how intellectual property protection should be covered in the outcome document of the NetMundial meeting in Sao Paolo, which comes to a close tonight.
Intellectual Property Watch
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WIPO Copyright Committee To Consider Broadcasting Treaty, Exceptions For Libraries
World Intellectual Property Organization delegates next week are expected to pore over a draft treaty text offering protection to broadcasters. Some issues, such as what the protection should cover, remain in the way of consensual language, and a new proposal has been put forward by the United Kingdom. Also on the agenda of the copyright committee is exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives, for which the nature of the instrument(s) that would provide such exceptions is not yet defined.
Another agenda item is a proposal on a copyright consortium for managing books for visually impaired persons.
Special Report: One Year On At The Medicines Patent Pool: Interview With Greg Perry
Greg Perry has been executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for over a year now, since January 2013. Under his guidance, MPP shares that it has launched a “series of new licensing agreements and negotiations with key patent holders and generic medicines companies.” Intellectual Property Watch sat down with Perry recently to discuss why the MPP is so important as an alternative business model, the context of the MPP, changes in the global approach to the issue of access, and how the MPP fits within the Geneva context.
Consensus On Principles Difficult To Bake Into Two-Day NetMundial
Consensus on the outcome document seemed elusive on day one of the NetMundial meeting that started in Sao Paulo yesterday. But ambitions are high for many.
Geneva Health Forum Covers Wide Range Of Policy Issues
Non-communicable diseases, access and affordability, global health governance and information and communications technology innovation are some of the important issues discussed and debated at the recent Geneva Health Forum (GHF).
US Supreme Court Hears High Stakes Aereo Copyright Case
The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in a contentious copyright suit that could affect the continued viability of broadcast television, cable TV, and cloud-storage services like DropBox, Box and Apple’s iCloud. And it is far from clear how the court will rule in American Broadcasting Companies v. Aereo, Inc.
Ten Questions About Internet Governance
On April 23 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the “Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance,” also known as "NETmundial" in an allusion to the global football event that will occur later in that country, will be convened. Juan Alfonso Fernández González of the Cuban Communications Ministry and a veteran of the UN internet governance meetings, raises 10 questions that need to be answered at NETmundial.
Panel Looks At Public Hospitals And Innovation
Public institutions often appear as lagging behind the private sector in innovation, especially in medical and healthcare science. But for the past decade, numerous international projects in public hospitals have included innovation as a driving force in their overall strategy development, according to speakers at a recent panel.
20 Years Of TRIPS: Max Planck Launches Declaration On Patent Protection
The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition has launched a Declaration on Patent Protection with the aim to “clarify some of the regulatory options states still retain under international law, in particular the TRIPS Agreement,” which turns 20 years old this year.
UPOV Approves ARIPO Draft Legislation Spreading Plant Variety Protection To Africa
The African Regional Intellectual Property Office last week obtained a positive decision at the international level on its draft law to protect new varieties of plants. Amid protest from civil society, the regional office now has to adopt the draft law and has said it would convene a diplomatic conference (high-level negotiation) in 2014 in order to do so.
Copyright Ruling In US May Impair Free Speech
The 9th Circuit’s recent decision in Garcia v. Google has sparked outrage among many internet businesses, media organisations, civil rights groups, and copyright experts. They assert the ruling significantly alters US law in a manner that will greatly restrict free speech. But a minority of experts say there is nothing to fear.
Geneva Health Forum Meets To Discuss Solutions To Common Problems
The Geneva Health Forum (GHF), taking place on 15-17 April in Geneva, will discuss the theme “Global Health: Interconnected Challenges, Integrated Solutions.” This year’s forum aims to encourage an “integrative approach” to global health, “which better captures the underlying causes of ill-health and recognises the commonalities that underlie people’s health around the world,” says GHF.