UN Report: Indigenous Rights Ignored In Global IP Policy
The cultures of indigenous peoples have frequently been ignored when global standards on intellectual property were being set, a new United Nations report has stated.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category WIPO
Un pas de plus vers un traité OMPI en faveur des déficients visuels
Plus de 95 pour cent des œuvres publiées ne sont pas adaptées aux personnes déficientes visuelles, ont indiqué leurs représentants la semaine dernière, à l’Organisation Mondiale de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OMPI). Ils soutiennent qu’un accord prévoyant des exceptions au droit d’auteur pourrait remédier à cette pénurie de livres, en levant les restrictions portées par le droit d’auteur à la traduction d’œuvres protégées dans des formats adaptés, et en partageant ces traductions au-delà des frontières nationales.
Copyright Law Reform in Brazil — Anteprojeto or Anti-project?
A balancing of the rights of authors and consumers, the re-introduction of a private copying exception, a remixing permission and a new regulatory agency for copyright issues are among the core points the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has planned for the new copyright law. But at the Third Conference on Copyright and the Public Interest in São Paulo a month ago, the Ministry emphasised that the bits and pieces shown to the audience were not from an actual law draft ("anteprojeto") but only a preliminary proposal for formulating such a draft. The bill still has not been published to date. The delay in releasing the bill for public consultation now threatens the work of more than two years on the reform.
December/January Edition Of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Now Available
The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Edition features top news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the international IP community, news briefs and more. The December/January edition is now available for subscribers.
Big Step Forward On Treaty For The Visually Impaired At WIPO
Over ninety-five percent of printed works are in formats inaccessible to people with visual impairments, representatives of the visually impaired said last week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. An agreement to allow exceptions in copyright law, they argued, could address this "book famine" by removing copyright restrictions on translation of works into accessible formats and on sharing of these translations across national boundaries.
ACTA May Prompt Quick Restart To EU Harmonisation Of Criminal Enforcement Of IP
The European Union appears to be preparing for adoption of the "gold standard" of enforcement, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), as intellectual property law expert Annette Kur from the Max Planck Institute of Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law said it is now called.
WIPO Draft On Visually Impaired Shows Breakthrough; A-V Treaty Negotiation Under Discussion
Draft chair's conclusions out today show the World Intellectual Property Organization is poised to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs to expand access to reading materials for the visually impaired. WIPO members this week also are considering the possibility of high-level negotiations on a new treaty for the protection of audiovisual performances.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Meeting Stalls, But Begins To Breach ‘Trust Gap’
After an auspicious beginning on substantive issues, the World Intellectual Property Organization traditional knowledge committee stalled on matters of procedure at the end of its meeting last week. With no mandate, a committee working group will not meet in early 2010 as planned, and the full committee will move meet again sooner than scheduled to try to agree on process.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Negotiators Dodging Roadblocks
How to handle work between meetings on creating a "legal instrument" caused a stalemate in informal negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization traditional knowledge committee this evening. Unable to reach agreement on the composition and activities of the group, delegates have put the negotiations on hold and will reconvene informally tomorrow (Friday) morning.
Mismatch On Traditional Knowledge Treaty Text, Negotiating Sessions At WIPO
The Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge, and Folklore (IGC) at the World Intellectual Property Organization began its first meeting under a newly-minted mandate yesterday, though it seems matters of procedure may again take up much of the space for discussions, according to several delegates.
Future Of Biotechnology And IP: Research Exemptions, Ceilings, Trade Secrets
Patenting of biotechnologies is a growing trend and is increasingly raising questions about legal and ethical implications and a lack of harmonisation, according to speakers at a recent World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) symposium.
False Metaphors And Sinking Ships: Patry On Copyright In Geneva
“In international law we like metaphors,” said William Patry, Senior Copyright Counsel at Google and author of the recent book Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars. One of the most pervasive of these is “a rising tide lifts all boats,” a metaphor whose danger lies in appearing logical. But making theory into copyright policy will benefit neither content creators nor those interested in preserving access to knowledge, he said.