Category Regional Policy

Year Ahead: Copyright Issues Rank High On EU To-Do List This Year

Copyright, copyright and more copyright tops Europe's intellectual property agenda for 2017. With the EU institutions mulling major reforms to copyright laws, publishers are pushing for a right to bar unauthorised copying or reuse of their content for commercial purposes, audiovisual authors for fair remuneration for use of their works on platforms like YouTube. The European Commission will begin reviewing the enforcement of IP rights as well as delving further into issues related to liability of platforms for infringement. But there are many patent issues too, including plant variety protection, patent incentives, and the ongoing unitary patent court.

Canada-Europe Trade Agreement: One More Vote To Clear

Just a day after US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament passed a recommendation in favour of adopting the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU. Meanwhile, the EU Trade Commissioner said trade is not to blame and the EU will negotiate many trade deals this year.

IP Law In The US: A Look Ahead

Whatever else could be said of 2016, it was undeniably interesting. That’s likely to be true, too, for 2017. Even the staid area of US Intellectual Property Law may face dramatic changes. Here's the likely most important of those changes.

Kenyan Livestock Breeders Call For Protection Of Their IP Rights

The lack of an intellectual property regime for animal breeding in Kenya is undermining efforts to curb illegal exploitation of Kenyan animal genetic resources, according to industry representatives.

Free Software Foundation Makes ‘Major Overhaul’ In High Priority Projects

Coolness alert! The Free Software Foundation has announced an updated list of high priority projects on a global scale. Top priorities now include a free software phone operating system, clouds, hardware, voice and video chat, inclusiveness, security and internationalisation of…

WEF Davos: Who Will Own The Knowledge Produced From “Our” Data By Machines?

Artificial intelligence has succeeded the Internet of Things or the earlier cloud mania as buzzword number one at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum that started today (17 January) in Davos, Switzerland. While ethical questions surrounding the intelligent machines are discussed at length and the question for regulatory steps considered, answers of who will own the knowledge created by machines or intelligent bots vary.

Survey Analyzes Tech, Media, Telecom Disputes; IP Prominent

Newly released results of a survey published by the Queen Mary University of London on disputes relating to technology, media and telecommunications reveal interesting details about the types of disputes brought and the reasons behind them.

EU Study Recommends FRAND Clarification, More Coordination On 5G

The rapid development of information and communication technologies, and the need for greater interconnectivity driven by the Internet of Things has created a variety of standard-essential patent (SEP) owners and implementers with different business models, and for more diverse licensing practices, the European Commission Joint Research Centre says in a new study. This has made it harder to agree on an interpretation of FRAND licensing principles, something European policymakers must clarify in order to meet key digital single market and other goals, it says.

US Biotech Industry To India’s Modi: Follow Our IP Practices, Get ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Investment

US Biotechnology Innovation Organization CEO Jim Greenwood told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week if he follows western practices on intellectual property protection, his country would see a "tidal wave" of biotech industry investment.