Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Just days before the final round of a debate over a proposed development agenda for the World Intellectual Property Organisation, non-profit groups from all corners of the world are signing on to a call for support of WIPO reform. The…
Luxembourg City–A new report from a UN task force on governance of policy issues related to the Internet sets the stage for global negotiations over who has oversight of those issues. The report, the final outcome of a working group…
Luxembourg City—The organisation responsible for the Internet name and address system this week hailed completion of a contract signed over the weekend with a new .mobi Internet domain, but heard criticism of its handling of the new .xxx domain for…
Luxembourg City–Among the many issues arising at this week’s meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is how to improve the accuracy and privacy of the database of contact information about Internet website owners. The so-called…
[Editor’s Note: This story was modified on 6 July] The World Intellectual Property Organisation, a Geneva-based U.N. body, is holding informal, invitation-only talks on a treaty on broadcasters’ rights around the world rather than at its headquarters. The informal gatherings…
A working group of the World Intellectual Property Organisation Program and Budget Committee sent a message to the WIPO director general last week that he should move ahead with a charter for internal audits. The working group meeting on 23…
Negotiators at a 20-22 June meeting to discuss possible reform of the World Intellectual Property Organisation to better address developing country needs began on the second day tackling the details of various proposals put forth by member governments. Officials arrived…
An online forum hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organisation aimed at shaping WIPO’s contribution to the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) generated a large turnout, according to a senior WIPO official. “We have gotten a great…
The 20-22 June World Intellectual Property Organisation meeting to discuss the possible establishment of an agenda for development opened with, among other things, a proposal on how to discuss the proposals. Negotiators at the start of the second Inter-sessional Intergovernmental…
The World Intellectual Property Organisation committee tackling the relationship between intellectual property and genetic resources and traditional knowledge wrapped up a weeklong meeting today with little agreement other than to recommend the General Assembly continue the group’s mandate unchanged for…
Experts from across the political and socioeconomic spectrum spent three days last week at the World Health Organisation engaged in debate about the best ways to stimulate the development of new treatments for underserved illnesses and to improve poor countries’…
The World Intellectual Property Organisation is said to be different from many United Nations bodies in that it has long been seen as more of a technical body than the domain of career diplomats who are expert at political wrangling.…