Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Trevor Mundel has been named president of the foundation's Global Health Program. Mundel is global head of development for Novartis Pharma in Basel, Switzerland and will start at Gates on 1 December.
The theme of this year’s World Trade Organization Public Forum, to be held at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva from 19-21 September, is “Seeking Answers to Global Trade Challenges.” Recognizing the widening gap between existing trade rules and the realities of the 21st century, the forum focus is on ensuring that WTO policy keeps pace with today’s fast changing world.
Over the objections of eight countries, ministers from the European Union on Monday extended copyright protection for performers and record producers from 50 to 70 years. The move brought cheers from the recording industry and copyright royalty collecting societies, but doubts from some governments and jeers from a major consumer group.
A new multi-stakeholder declaration demanding that the public interest be returned to intellectual property rights was issued this week and is open for signatures by anyone, already collecting hundreds of supporters. The declaration contains numerous principles and actions, such as restraint in enforcement, open access, and development priorities, that the drafters hope will help change the course of IP policymaking.
A grand jury in the United States has charged website Ninjavideo.net with criminal copyright conspiracy for allowing large-scale unauthorised movie downloads, the US Justice Department announced today.
The United States Senate on Thursday passed historic patent reform legislation – but not before some heated debate on the chamber’s floor. It now goes to President Obama for his signature. Intellectual Property Watch offers a look at who wins and what will now change.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiated last year will be open for signature for two years, until the first of May 2013. But while this looks like a long time, it likely will be needed by the 37 negotiating governments (including the United States, Japan, South Korea and the 27 European Union members) to iron out problems on their way to implementing what some rights owners welcomed as a possible new “gold standard” for the enforcement of intellectual property rights.
The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) has submitted comments on the proposed European Union directive on orphan works, which aims to increase legal certainty for use of creative works whose copyright holders cannot be found. The group, which represents collective management organisations, authors and publishers, called for collective management and licensing for orphan works.
The United States Senate on Tuesday was debating patent reform legislation that would make the first significant reforms to the US patent system in nearly 60 years.
The United States Senate voted to invoke cloture and limit debate on patent reform Tuesday night, with a vote of 93-5. The measure, HR 1249, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, now will go to the Senate floor for debate and final passage; a vote could happen as early as Thursday.