WIPO Committee Extends, Adjusts Mandate On Traditional Knowledge, Folklore

By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen After intense, last-minute discussions, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) committee decided to renew its current mandate, with a slightly stronger emphasis on the direction of its future work. Meeting Chair I Gusti Agung Wesaka…

Second Life Copyright Case: New World, Same Old Laws?

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
Far from being a bizarre by-product of the online society created by Second Life, a recently launched US intellectual property (IP) infringement case against one of its "avatars" is very much grounded in the real world, legal experts say. However, the fact that the first-of-its-kind case involves a "virtual" product raises interesting legal and social questions, they say.

WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Informal Text Under Debate

Below is the draft chair’s text under discussion at the 3-12 July World Intellectual Property Organization Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). The committee has been in informal and “informal informal” (very small…

WIPO TK Committee Moves To Consultations To Map Out Future Work

By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen With a day remaining in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) committee meeting on traditional knowledge and genetic resources, the chair has moved to informal consultations with regional coordinators to discuss the future of the…