Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Exceptions to European Union copyright rules designed to allow blind people access to publications should be made legally binding, according to disability rights organisations. In July, the European Commission opened a…
By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch In a bid to harness the significant value of geographical indications to the economies of the 22 member states of the Arab League, an Arab Society for Geographical Indications (ASGI) has been proposed.…
By Catherine Saez
Inducing compliance, after a favourable ruling of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body, from countries which breached international trade rules can prove difficult, especially for developing countries. For many of them, retaliation in a trade sector unrelated to the one affected by the violation of WTO rules may be the only viable option, although the major obstacles are not legal but political, according to speakers at a roundtable held on Friday in Geneva.
By Dugie Standeford and Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) is being “recalibrated” as developing and developed countries challenge old assumptions, Vanderbilt University law professor Daniel Gervais said this week. The first…
By Kaitlin Mara Indigenous groups are looking for better representation at the United Nations body negotiating on issues related to the protection of their traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. At the World Intellectual Property Organization last week, indigenous groups,…
Par Kaitlin Mara Vendredi dernier, en fin de soirée, ce sont des représentants gouvernementaux épuisés qui ont dû admettre que les négociations internationales relatives aux savoirs traditionnels et au folklore qui se sont déroulées à l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété…
Por Kaitlin Mara Tarde en la noche del viernes, los para entonces cansados funcionarios gubernamentales tuvieron que admitir que habían llegado a un punto muerto en las negociaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual sobre la protección internacional…
Videocast: Intellectual Property Watch sat down with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s new director general, Francis Gurry, to discuss his plans for the organisation. The appointment of Gurry was widely hailed by supporters as a positive change, and a way…
By William New In an unusual policy for an international organisation, the World Customs Organization imposes copyright over every document its bodies produce, even agendas, which means that no document can be reproduced without the organisation’s express consent. But now…
By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Islamic states have declared 2009 “the year for renewal and innovation” and will launch a project to prepare a landmark map of science, technology and innovation to promote science and technology investment and…
By Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch
An upcoming federal court ruling in the United States that will determine whether or not RealNetworks' RealDVD copying software violates the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) will likely have a major impact on releases of similar software in the near future.
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
Intellectual property and financial stakeholders, representatives from developing and developed countries, and non-governmental organisations are in Vienna this week to work on a global guide on how to use intellectual property as collateral in commerce.