Observers Watchful Of US Trade Impact On Medicines Access

By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The United States has begun incorporating a revised intellectual property and health policy into its bilateral trade deals. But although the overall softer approach towards its partners may improve access to medicines, the debate on…

Comité de la OMPI extiende y ajusta su mandato sobre conocimientos tradicionales y folclore

Por Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Tras intensos debates y a última hora, un comité de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI) decidió renovar su actual mandato, con un poco más de énfasis en la dirección que tomará su…

US Ruling Creates Uncertainty For Famous Foreign Trademarks

By Steve Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch
In a ruling that surprised many trademark experts in the United States, one of the country's most respected appellate courts recently cut back on the protection given to famous foreign trademarks. If such marks are well known in the US but are not registered or used in the country, they are unprotected by federal law, according to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

UE: Se desvanece armonización de patentes, insuficiencia en DRM, silencio respecto a flexibilidades en ADPIC

¿Está cerrándose la oportunidad de lograr armonización de patentes en la UE? Por Monika Ermert para Intellectual Property Watch MUNICH- A juzgar por los comentarios de algunos funcionarios, tras varios años de debates, podría estarse cerrando la ventana de oportunidad…

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.