Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By William New The growing problem of intellectual property rights piracy and counterfeiting requires global cooperation, and the European Union has elevated its focus on the issue at every policy level, an EU official told a recent intergovernmental gathering discussing…
By William New Advanced European countries are increasingly looking for channels to school their neighbours and worldwide free-trade agreement partners on the enforcement of western-style intellectual property rights. And in order to get them to bite, officials are promoting the…
By William New The Intellectual Property Owners’ Association, a Washington, DC industry association, has posted on its website a side-by-side comparison of the two bills to reform US patent law currently advancing in the US Congress. Both bills moved at…
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
Legislation for sweeping reform of the US patent system emerged from House and Senate committees last week. Among other changes, the bills would more closely align the US scheme with international patent practice, create an additional opportunity to challenge the validity of questionable patents, and limit damages in some infringement lawsuits. But the bills' future is unpredictable, observers say.
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The United States has begun incorporating a revised intellectual property and health policy into its bilateral trade deals. But although the overall softer approach towards its partners may improve access to medicines, the debate on…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Years after it was permitted under international trade law, the first country has notified the World Trade Organization that it will use a flexibility allowing it to address public health needs by importing a patented…
By Steve Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch
In a ruling that surprised many trademark experts in the United States, one of the country's most respected appellate courts recently cut back on the protection given to famous foreign trademarks. If such marks are well known in the US but are not registered or used in the country, they are unprotected by federal law, according to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Por David Cronin para Intellectual Property Watch Los miembros del Parlamento Europeo han decidido aplazar la aceptación del protocolo a un acuerdo de la Organización Mundial del Comercio en materia de patentes sobre medicamentos, a la espera de que los…
¿Está cerrándose la oportunidad de lograr armonización de patentes en la UE? Por Monika Ermert para Intellectual Property Watch MUNICH- A juzgar por los comentarios de algunos funcionarios, tras varios años de debates, podría estarse cerrando la ventana de oportunidad…
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A Saturday agreement between US webcasters and SoundExchange, which collects digital royalties for artists and record labels, appears to have cooled some of the heat surrounding a 2 March decision by the US…