Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A groundbreaking agreement between the UK government, major internet service providers (ISPs) and the music and film industries could signal that efforts to engage ISPs in fighting digital copyright piracy are gaining momentum.…
By William New The prospect for an agreement to negotiate on three intellectual property issues at the World Trade Organization has dimmed considerably, with no further meetings with delegations likely on Sunday, according to officials. A possible proposal is circulating…
By William New The European Union on Saturday restated the necessity of including three intellectual property issues in any outcome of the World Trade Organization ministerial negotiations, even as the WTO director general signalled a need to prevent the IP…
[Update: Ministers reached a tentative deal Friday night on some aspects of agriculture and NAMA, and will take up services on Saturday, according to ministers.] By William New Word went out Friday evening that there may have been some progress…
By Itaru Nitta, Green Intellectual Property Project, Geneva, Switzerland In its Assembly 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property to squarely steer the global R&D [research…
By Kaitlin Mara and William New Compromise on intellectual property issues at this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial meeting has been hard to find, but the facilitator of the IP talks said Thursday night that the possibility remains if the…
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Harmonisation of copyright regulation in recent years has overly “focussed on securing rightsholders’ ability to benefit from new modes of exploitation and business models” and has primarily served “the interests of copyright exporting…
Monika Ermert pour Intellectual Property Watch Contrairement à ce que les négociateurs européens avaient affirmé au sujet du temps nécessaire pour peaufiner l’Accord commercial anti-contrefaçon (ACAC), les pays semblent à présent prêts à accélérer les négociations. La question de l’ACAC…
By Catherine Saez Intellectual property-related issues appear to be a clear policy focus of the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as an IP mandate was reconfirmed by the 12th quadrennial UNCTAD conference in April and the organisation…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is meeting with industry groups and intellectual property experts to determine how to strike just the right balance on industrial design protection in the United States.
In the US, design patents can protect the ornamental appearance of manufactured items such as cars. These differ from utility patents, which provide protection for the innovative, functional aspects of a product as embodied in the structure or operation of the product. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) often spend millions, if not billions, of dollars creating unique and distinctive designs for their products, whether they be strollers, mobile phones, household appliances or clothing.
But recent moves by the European Union in loosening patent protection for car repair parts, specifically, has gotten some attention in the United States, as has a legislative bill sponsored by Representative Zoe Lofgren (Democrat, California). So the USPTO wants to round up ideas and opinions on market effects of such actions, particularly when this country has seen an "incremental increase in design applications" being filed - about 5,000 more in 2007 than in 2003.