Intellectual Property Watch

IP Rights In Starting Blocks For Copenhagen, But Issue Still Uncertain

Catherine Saez — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:53:59 +0000

BARCELONA - Weeklong climate negotiations came to an end today, and despite the assurance from most delegations that everything is still possible in the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, many issues remain in doubt. Among them are finance, emissions reduction, technology transfer, and the nature of the agreement to be built in Copenhagen.

WTO To Extend Moratorium On Non-Violation Cases, E-Commerce Taxes

William New — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:10:44 +0000

World Trade Organization members reached agreement today to recommend extension of a moratorium on customs duties on electronic commerce, and a moratorium on challenging other WTO members under intellectual property rules for actions not in violation of the WTO, according to a WTO official.

IP Enforcement Work At WIPO Gets Boost From Developing Nations

Kaitlin Mara — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:58:12 +0000

Developing countries this week increased their proactive involvement in the enforcement agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization, according to participants at the 2-4 November Advisory Committee on Enforcement meeting.

IP Rights In A Quiet Tug-Of-War At UN Climate Change Negotiations

Catherine Saez — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:28:11 +0000

BARCELONA – At this week’s global climate talks, efforts are being made to trim references to intellectual property rights in relation to technology transfer from the body of a non-paper and relegate much of it to an appendix. But developing countries have asked that those measures be brought back into the main text. An updated non-paper should be issued on Friday.

Pirate Party Gains Second Seat In EU Parliament

William New — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:51:47 +0000

This week’s ratification of the European Union Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic put in place the treaty and and with it a new Parliament member from the Swedish Pirate Party. The second Pirate Party seat will be occupied by the 22-year-old Amelia Andersdotter, who will become the youngest Member of the European Parliament, according [...]

ACTA Internet Chapter Leak Signals Far-Reaching Copyright Policy

Kaitlin Mara — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:21:57 +0000

As governments negotiating the secretive Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) meet in Seoul this week, public interest concern has surfaced over leaked information on internet enforcement.

Technology Debated In UNFCCC Barcelona Talks; IP To Follow

Catherine Saez — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:36:59 +0000

BARCELONA - After only a short break from the Bangkok climate talks, some 30 days before the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, delegates are back at the negotiating table for the last stretch of intense discussions. Among the issues discussed by delegates from 181 countries, technology appears preponderant, including the way to encourage environmentally sound technology (EST) innovation, and to transfer that technology to developing countries. Meanwhile, civil society is warning of possible new technology-related risks, and the issue of emission reductions is also being hotly discussed.

US Senate Letter Urges IP Rights In Climate Talks

William New — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:14:50 +0000

A bipartisan group of 42 of the 100 United States senators sent a letter to US negotiators in global climate talks in Barcelona this week urging the protection of intellectual property rights over any technologies developed to address climate change. In the 2 November letter, available here [pdf], they cautioned against allowing developing countries to [...]

Governance Sought For Climate Tech As Bill Gates Applies For Patent

William New — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:44:20 +0000

BARCELONA - As a global climate change convention is being discussed in Barcelona, the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology scheduled a hearing on 5 November about the implications of large-scale climate intervention, also called geoengineering. Geoengineering is the “intentional, large-scale plans to modify the climate and related system,” according to Diana [...]

MPAA On Broadband, Net Neutrality: Regulation Good, Not Good

William New — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:42:14 +0000

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) this week urged the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “to make the protection of creative content online a core and guiding principle" of its new National Broadband Plan. But its view suggests it would support stronger regulation over the internet, an approach it has strongly opposed in other areas.