USPTO Director Kappos To Depart In January
David Kappos, the director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), will leave at the end of January, a USPTO spokesperson confirmed today.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category North America
Overseas Manufacturing Creates Copyright Dilemma For US Supreme Court
Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons presents the United States Supreme Court with a stark and weighty choice. In the 29 October oral argument [pdf], Supap Kirtsaeng urged the court to uphold purchasers’ right to freely dispose of copyrighted works they have purchased, even when those works are made overseas. If this right is struck down, Kirtsaeng warned, museums in the US may be unable to borrow works of art created overseas, consumers may be unable to sell their used books and CDs, and many companies engaged in secondary markets, such as eBay and used car dealers, may be put out of business.
Could US Election Result Reverse Ever-Stronger Copyright Protection?
US voters returned President Obama for four more years, and kept his party's dominance of the US Senate as well as the opposition party's dominance of the House of Representatives. While the Obama administration has generally allied itself with copyright interests, some see the possibility of a reversal in the US Congress of a trend toward stronger copyright protection.
Film Industry Praises Obama’s “Understanding” Of IP’s Importance
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) last night quickly congratulated US President Barack Obama on his re-election for four more years, praising his “understanding” of the importance of intellectual property to the US economy. Observers have seen the Obama administration as strongly supportive of the copyright industry, and said Obama received significant campaign financial support from Hollywood while possibly losing ground with the technology industry. And some even see the possibility of a reverse in the US Congress of a trend toward stronger copyright protection.
US Makes New Exemptions To Digital Millennium Copyright Act Provision
The United States has made new exemptions to a provision in its copyright law that prohibits the circumvention of technological measures to gain access to protected digital works.
Greens Call For ‘Social Contract For Digital Age’; Lessig Calls US Hopeless On Copyright Reform
BERLIN--The United States is hopeless when it comes to a copyright reform for the internet, US Law Professor Lawrence Lessig told the German Green Party's congress on internet politics on Saturday. Europe, Lessig said, could take the lead with regard to that reform, which is needed but blocked in the US by vested interests.
US Court Rules On Fair Use For Blind Users, Digitisation, Amid Treaty Talks
Coinciding with the marathon negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization for a potential treaty for the visually-impaired persons, a United States court handed down a ruling this month that goes in favour of copyright exceptions in the digitisation of books for the purposes of preservation, text search and access for the blind.
New USPTO Post-Grant Review A Small Step For Patent Harmonisation
On 16 September, the United States made its patent system more like everyone else’s. The country began implementing a new patent office procedure for challenging the validity of recently issued patents. This was, however, only a modest step towards harmonisation because the US version of post-grant patent review has little in common with the corresponding processes available in other countries, according to experts.
Standards-Setting Organisations Increasingly Make IPR A Priority
Washington, DC - Standards guide many aspects of our lives. They instruct how telephones talk to each other, how the life sciences community shares information, how electrical devices are charged, and how the internet runs, among other things.
It’s standard-setting organisations (SSOs) that facilitate discussions among stakeholders - including intellectual property owners and users - and produce common, typically voluntary technical standards to address needs and concerns of those using the technology. Companies need to make compatible or interoperable products that comply with these standards in order to compete in the global marketplace. And intellectual property is increasingly coming into play in the development of these standards.
Global Fund Nears Selection Of New Director For Transformed Organisation
The Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is in the final phases of selecting its next executive director. In the run-up to the decision, the international financing institution is multiplying signs of its good health as it looks to turn a corner after months of major reforms.
Google, Publishers Reach Digital Library Settlement
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Google Inc. have reached a settlement in a seven-year copyright dispute involving the Google Library Project, allowing the inclusion of copyrighted digital works.
US Announces $2.4M In Local Grants To Combat IP Theft
The United States government has announced the release of more than $2.4 million in grants to 13 US jurisdictions for stronger enforcement of intellectual property rights.