Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Un groupe d’experts en droit de la propriété intellectuelle, issus d’universités allemandes, britanniques, néerlandaises, françaises et espagnoles, a conclu que l’Accord Commercial Relatif à la Contrefaçon (plus connu sous le sigle anglais ACTA) récemment finalisé n’est pas entièrement conforme au droit communautaire et qu’il va au-delà du droit international sur certains aspects.
PARIS - The rise of counterfeiting and global economic difficulties combined to sap resources devoted to intellectual property enforcement, said panellists at an event highlighting the fight against counterfeiting and piracy yesterday, and discussed innovative solutions. Meanwhile a civil society group said enforcement of IP rights is a false solution to substandard medicines.
PARIS - Sustainable development made what some described as a welcome intrusion at the global congress on counterfeiting and piracy during a dedicated session on Wednesday, with discussions on how to conduct enforcement efforts while taking into account developing country specificities.
PARIS - Counterfeiting and piracy are on the pillory at the annual event organised by three intergovernmental agencies fighting intellectual property rights infringement. Much of the emphasis of this year’s event is being placed on the danger to the consumers and the economic consequences of infringement as well as on the necessity of enforcement measures. But some developing country delegates present at the event raised concern that the event might not be taking their concerns sufficiently into account.
The European Union is failing to keep pace with key competitor nations and is in need of a radical new, greatly simplified, approach to research and innovation, the European Commission said today. And an element of what is needed is a European-wide patent.
An American industry representative with European ties has been named to take over the role of coordinating and communicating US international policy on patents and trademarks. Meanwhile, a key civil society lawyer became US manager of Doctors without Borders Access to Medicines campaign in the United States. And a music industry lawyer central to several landmark copyright cases has been nominated to be the next solicitor general. Catch these and the new faces at the trade associations and law firms in the latest edition of the IP-Watch People Column.
Think tanks can be a godsend for reporters with a looming deadline. Almost invariably, they are staffed with articulate policy specialists, adept at summarising complex issues in a few quotable sentences. Frequently, too, the think tanks have neutral-sounding names, so a reader or viewer of news reports can easily believe that they are independent of vested interests.
Closer inspection reveals that many of these “independent” bodies are in fact heavily reliant on corporate donations. This is especially the case for a number of think tanks working on intellectual property.
For anyone in Egypt in recent months or years, it was impossible to ignore the extraordinary destitution of masses of people living in dusty, stark cement structures everywhere on the edges of Cairo or the choked roads clogged with a far-too-rapidly swollen population. Reports from the ground via digital technologies chronicled events that hit this week, but it might be the digital silence today that seals the change.
After more than a decade of stalled negotiations, World Trade Organization members have entered into a debate about creating a register for the international protection of wines and spirits with place names.
American lawmakers aren’t wasting any time getting down to business after President Obama stressed the importance of spurring innovation during his annual State of the Union address this week and cited the need for the United States to regain its competitive edge, particularly when up against countries such as China and India. A slew of related bills are emerging in Congress.
CANNES - More help from governments, a hope for new cloud music services and new markets in emerging countries like Brazil. India and China were on the wish list of the big music labels and publishers at this week's annual industry bash in Cannes, France. Technology companies and the newly invited hackers were more concerned with new ways to better access music and connecting artists and fans.
The Executive Board session of the World Health Organization ended early on Monday after a week of discussions that settled some issues but left some others for the next governing meeting of the organisation in May, with much to do until then. The WHO is facing a significant gap in its budget and a programme of reforms is brewing.