Category North America

US Elections, Global Economy Are Major Challenges For US IP Association

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - The American Intellectual Property Law Association faces profound political, legislative and administrative challenges in coming months, new Executive Director Q. Todd Dickinson said in a 13 November interview in The Hague. Key among them are major changes at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the new Obama administration, the fate of patent reform in the new US Congress, and the impact, if any, of the global economic downturn on patents, he said.

Egyptian Goddess Puts Teeth Back In US Industrial Design Rights

By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch
For the past two decades, industrial design rights have received little respect in the United States. But no longer.

The recent court ruling in Egyptian Goddess, Inc v Swisa, Inc has dramatically strengthened industrial design rights in the US, bringing the country's protections for these rights back into line with international standards, according to many experts.

Bilski Ruling Moves US Closer To Global Norms For Patenting

By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch
Compared with other countries, the United States has had a much more expansive view of what inventions can be patented. Late last week, however, the US took one big step closer to international norms.
It happened on 30 October, when the US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals - often called the country's "patent court" - issued its decision in In re Bilski.

Google Books Settlement A Possible Path To Resolution Of Digital Content Disputes

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Google’s groundbreaking settlement of copyright infringement claims by authors and book publishers this week resonates beyond the United States, the European Commission and a UK copyright lawyer said. While the agreement affects only…

RealDVD Court Case Could Prompt More Commercial-Grade DVD Copying Software

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.