Original news and analysis on international IP policy
In an obvious effort to push back against claims about a continued lack of transparency in free trade agreement negotiations, the European Commission has published a number of initial documents on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States.
Setting general private copying levies on the first sale of blank media such as CDs and DVDs does not necessarily breach EU law, Europe's highest court said on 11 July. The law does not allow the levy to be collected where the intended use of the recording media clearly isn't for making private copies. But it doesn't bar a general levy system that includes the option of reimbursement where the intended use is not private copying, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said.
The Modern Poland Foundation, a non-profit and access to knowledge advocate, is asking people around the globe to participate in a crowdfunded contest that poses the question: What should a good copyright system look like?
The European Commission has prepared a draft regulation to implement an international protocol to prevent biopiracy, leading two non-governmental organisations to publish an opinion piece voicing concerns about it. The European Parliament is scheduled to review the draft on 4 July. A key concern is whether it would cover non-European genetic resources already in European collections.
The German Parliament on 27-28 June passed several changes to German copyright law and introduced limits and a financial cap on how much lawyers can charge for notices against file-sharers.
Governments can impose copyright levies on sales of printers and computers, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a 27 June ruling.
Hundreds of European publishers have issued a call for the European Commission to reject draft remedies put forward by Google to settle concerns about market dominance in web searching and search advertising.
The European Commission (EC) has fined Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck as well as eight other generic manufacturers for delaying market entry of generic medicines by way of patent settlement agreements (also known as “pay-for-delay” agreements).
A guide to key provisions and limitations of the European Union directive on permitted uses of orphan works - those whose creators cannot be found - has been published by the Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL).
In their traditional communiqué, Group of Eight countries at their annual summit welcomed ongoing efforts to negotiate bilateral and multilateral trade deals which they say will allow them to overcome economic uncertainties and shoulder the responsibility to support prosperity worldwide.
During day one of the Summit of the G8 countries at Lough Erne Golf Resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland today, President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the President of the European Commission, Manuel Barroso, jointly announced the formal start of negotiations of the US-EU free trade agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
European Commission Vice-President responsible for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, today told a US business group that revelations about the United States government's mass surveillance programmes would hurt US businesses, but create opportunities for European business. She also said the US should have been more transparent with the European Union and allow US companies to be more transparent, and risks undermining trust in digital services.