Category Venues

US Files WTO Case Against China For Violations Of Global Patent Rules

It has been considered for years that China has not been as strong as developed country trading partners in protecting intellectual property rights. Now, as China gains ground in building its own patent war chest, it has received a World Trade Organization challenge from the top patent-filing nation in the world, arguing that China's treatment of foreign companies' IP rights is unfavourable and its policies violate international trade rules.

Revision Of WIPO Draft Treaty On Genetic Resources Advances, Heads For Next Meeting

After a difficult start to the week, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates on 23 March agreed on a revision of a set of articles of a potential treaty preventing the misappropriation of genetic resources through IP protection. The revised text will serve as a basis for further discussions at the next session of the WIPO committee dealing with the protection of genetic resources, in June. [Update: list of decisions now posted]

New Draft Text On Final Day Of WIPO Committee On Genetic Resources; Expert Group Proposed

After the first suggested revision of potential treaty articles preventing the misappropriation of genetic resources was sent back to the drawing board this week, the second revision emerged today, for consideration by the World Intellectual Property Organization member states. Separately, a proposal by the committee chair to establish an expert group to meet prior to the next session of the committee meeting was positively received.

New Process, Mandatory Disclosure Stir Reactions In WIPO Committee On Genetic Resources

A proposed revision of articles that could become a World Intellectual Property Organization instrument protecting against the misappropriation of genetic resources met with strong resistance from some developing countries, asking that the committee revert to the previous version of the text. Their concern is what they see as new issues and concepts introduced this week, mainly by the United States. The committee chair decided to start a new process.

Irrepressible Rise Of China In International Patent Applications, Developing Countries Lagging

If the United States remains the champion of international patent applications at the World Intellectual Property Organization, China is now on its heels, and knocked Japan off the second place in 2017, according to numbers provided by WIPO. Southeast Asia is now a strong source of international applications, while developing countries still stand as a poor relation of the intellectual property system, though some of them are progressing steadily.

ISPs In US Face New Copyright Challenge

Online firms don’t do enough to combat copyright infringement. That, at least, is what US copyright owners have been saying for years. They recently received some good news from the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The decision in BMG Rights Management v. Cox Communications puts new teeth in the legal requirements for internet service providers (ISPs) to act against infringing customers. The ruling, however, is worrying ISPs and many legal experts, because it empowers copyright trolls, increases costs for ISPs, and puts many of their customers in an untenable situation.

Tentative New Wording For Draft WIPO Instrument Protecting Genetic Resources

Delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week started discussing core articles of what could potentially become a treaty preventing the misappropriation and the granting of intellectual property rights on genetic resources. Facilitators named by the chair of the WIPO committee addressing this issue produced a new tentative draft version of the objectives of such treaty.

WSIS 2018 Focused On SDGs, Never-Ending Digital Divide, Role Of SMEs

The UN-led World Summit on the Information Society Forum (WSIS) 2018 opened its doors this week, with over 2,500 participants. This year, the focus is on sustainable development. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General Houlin Zhao underlined the importance of reducing the digital divide in a press briefing this morning.

New Domain Names Should Protect Country Names, Proposal At WIPO Says

A group of countries submitted a new proposal for the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks and geographical indications, set to meet next month, to protect country names and geographical names. The proponents suggest that this proposal, if adopted by the WIPO General Assembly, could influence the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' second round of registration for new generic top-level domain names.

WIPO Committee On The Protection Of Genetic Resources Meets This Week

World Intellectual Property Organization delegates will meet in the coming week to try to advance work on the protection of genetic resources against misappropriation. Through its renewed mandate, the WIPO committee is expected to focus on accommodating diverse points of view and try to reach a common understanding on core issues, including what and whom should benefit from protection.

Cambodia First To Join Geneva Act On Geographical Indications. But Where Are The Europeans?

Cambodia has become the first country to join a 2015 agreement at the World Intellectual Property Organization aimed at strengthening protection of geographical indications (GIs). The Asian nation has several GIs it is seeking to protect, such as the Kampot pepper. But it might seem surprising that almost three years later, the group of European countries that fought so hard to conclude the treaty back in 2015 still have not acceded to it.