Intellectual Property Watch: Intellectual Property Law

Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Intellectual Property Law Blogs

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Intellectual Property Law

Intellectual Property Watch

Reports on the interests and behind-the-scenes dynamics that influence the design and implementation of international intellectual property policies.
By Intellectual Property Watch

Post Frequency: 15.8/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 09:41:17

AIDS Patients Protest EU-India Trade Agreement

Posted on March 12, 2010
Patients with HIV/AIDS today protested in New Delhi against negotiations for a European Union-India free trade agreement that they say will restrict access to cheaper versions of critical medicines in developing countries. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors without Borders) said in a statement that India is the source of more than 90 percent of [...

European Generics Industry Calls For “Urgent Patent Reform”

Posted on March 11, 2010
“Competition and real innovation” will be increasingly difficult if the patent system in Europe is not reformed, the European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) said today at its ?Legal Affairs Forum,? which took place on 11 March. The European Patent Office must ?look to improve the quality of patent examinations and applications and accelerate examination and [...

Indian Civil Society Raises Concerns Over US Industry-Sponsored IP Summits

Posted on March 11, 2010
Public interest groups in India are raising questions over annual summits involving Indian judges and policymakers that are being funded by major western industry groups, in particular pharmaceutical companies. At this year?s summit, held recently, a section of India?s patent law which prevents the extension of monopoly power for incremental innovations came under attack, the groups have said.

New US Senate Patent Reform Bill Brings Many Reactions

Posted on March 11, 2010
Reactions have emerged since last week?s release by United States Senate Judiciary Committee bipartisan leaders of details of compromise legislation to reform of US patent laws. Most are generally positive, signalling that a long-sought compromise might be near, but strong reservations remain among some stakeholders.

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

US On International Trade Crusade With New Agenda

Posted on March 11, 2010
The recently released US annual trade agenda shows an intention to conquer new international markets, strengthen the global trade system and enforce obligations and US intellectual property rights. The US also means to address what they consider as trade barriers...

Interview With Bill Pollock, Founder Of No Starch Press

Posted on March 10, 2010
Bill Pollock is the president and founder of No Starch Press, which publishes books on computing. Known to offer the ?finest in geek entertainment,? the publishing house has released such titles as ?Steal This Computer Book,? ?How Linux Works,? ?Hacking: The Art of Exploitation,? ?The Cult of Mac,? and ?The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide...

Leading IP Offices Target Patent Backlog, Economy; Differ On Harmonisation

Posted on March 10, 2010
The backlog in patent processing could impose £7.6 billion (about USD$11.3 billion) in annual expenses on the global economy within the next five years if nothing is done to fix it, according to a new economics study from the United Kingdom released this morning before directors of several top global intellectual property offices.

Regards de deux cinéastes africains sur la créativité et le droit d?auteur

Posted on March 10, 2010
Sous l?égide de la Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (FIAPF), deux cinéastes africains, invités au festival annuel genevois Black Movie, ont tenu à partager leurs idées sur le dynamisme du cinéma africain et la protection du droit d?auteur.

European Parliament Votes To Rein In Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty

Posted on March 10, 2010
The European Parliament today voted overwhelmingly in favour of a demand to be kept fully informed about the secretive Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement under negotiation by the European Commission and about a dozen countries outside Europe. Parliament also opposed controversial provisions such as personal searches at European borders and cutting internet access for anyone found infringing copyright online three times.

Electronics Manufacturers Use US Legal System to Thwart Hardware ?Hacks?

Posted on March 09, 2010
Electronics manufacturers are taking legal action against users in the United States who communicate how to unlock or ?hack? hardware devices. However, manufacturers? use of their hired legal guns to crack down on hacking, which they say infringes on their intellectual property ownership rights, is a point of debate.

FAO Conference Draws Ire From Civil Society; Industry Satisfied By Event

Posted on March 09, 2010
A recent UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference on the benefits of agricultural biotechnologies in Guadalajara, Mexico, sparked strong reactions from peasant organisations and civil society.

ITU: ICT Regulation Can Be Economic Stimulus

Posted on March 09, 2010
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) today released an annual report on information and communications technologies that prompted it to push governments to support continued investment in network rollouts and technology upgrades while pursuing regulations that support still-growing demand for mobile and broadband services...

Google, ITU Address Policies Of Global Internet Freedom

Posted on March 09, 2010
A representative of Google and of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union today spoke of internet freedom in repressive regimes and censorship in Western democracies.

Global Fund Reports On Progress Toward UN Health Goals

Posted on March 08, 2010
The United Nations goal of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS is within reach, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said in a progress report released today.

Brazil Issues US Retaliation List; Open To Talk

Posted on March 08, 2010
Today the Brazilian government published a list of US goods that will be subject to higher import taxes when entering Brazil, according to a press release. This follows a WTO dispute settlement decision giving Brazil the authorisation to suspend Brazil?s concessions and other obligations in the WTO towards the US which was found in violation of [...

Submissions To US Unilateral IP Enforcement Process Highlight Piracy, Health, and ACTA

Posted on March 05, 2010
Submissions to the United States annual review of how well it says the rest of the world is protecting US intellectual property are being assessed this week, with marked changes from previous years.

WTO GIs Group Continues Work On Topic “Clusters”

Posted on March 05, 2010
The World Trade Organization group tasked with negotiating an international register for geographical indications (product names associated with a particular place and characteristics) on wines and spirits will continue to discuss a set of questions and principles about the GI register...

New Senate Patent Reform Bill Details Released

Posted on March 04, 2010
United States Senate Judiciary Committee bipartisan leaders today released details of much-anticipated compromise legislation aimed at reform of US patent laws. The new bill ostensibly makes significant steps toward resolving longstanding differences in legislative efforts to modernise US law for patent quality and efficiency, and make it more compatible with international laws.

EFF, 7,000 Petitioners Urge FCC To Protect Net Neutrality

Posted on March 04, 2010
The Electronic Frontier Foundation yesterday submitted a petition to the United States Federal Communications Commission demanding the FCC fill a loophole in its internet regulations that could allow for internet filtering of allegedly copyright infringing content...

USTR Offers Answers To Some Thorny Questions On ACTA

Posted on March 03, 2010
A letter from the United States government answering a variety of sticky questions about the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has been released online. The 28 January letter is addressed to Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat, Oregon) from US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

Court Finds German Data Retention Law Unconstitutional

Posted on March 02, 2010
The German Constitutional Court today declared German data retention legislation a violation of the fundamental right to privacy of correspondence and telecommunication (Article 10 of the German constitution). The law that is a transposition of the EU data retention directive from 2006 therefore is null and void, said the court...

WTO TRIPS Council Considers Workshop On Public Health Amendment

Posted on March 02, 2010
The World Trade Organization group on intellectual property rights met today and ended early, discussing a potential workshop on an amendment intended to ease access to cheaper generic medicines in countries without a pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, a new proposal from Bolivia and three separate longstanding IP issues with no major changes.

New ACTA Leak Details Differences, Broadening Scope

Posted on March 02, 2010
A new document on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) under negotiation has been circulated online. While it is unclear who it was leaked to, a copy of it is available here [pdf]. Apparently a working document from the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union to its delegations, it contains a comparative table of [...

GIs Can Help Development, But Key Ingredients Are Needed, FAO Says

Posted on March 01, 2010
Geographical indications (GIs) can be a tool for sustainable development in rural areas and are attracting a rising interest from developing country producers, but some ingredients must be taken into account, such as an effective legal framework and collective management of the GIs, according to a recently released guide produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Battistelli Of France Is New EPO President

Posted on March 01, 2010
The Administrative Council of the Munich-based European Patent Organisation on 1 March elected Benoît Battistelli of France as next president of the European Patent Office (EPO), starting on 1 July. Battistelli is director general of the French National Institute of Industrial Property...

Efficacy Of TRIPS Public Health Amendment In Question At WTO

Posted on March 01, 2010
World Trade Organization members this week will hear a report on an informal meeting on an amendment to intellectual property trade rules intended to allow easier access to medicines, which some argue has had a flawed design from its inception.

OECD Official Joins WIPO Economics Team

Posted on February 26, 2010
Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, formerly an economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Science, Technology, and Industry, has joined the World Intellectual Property Organization as a senior economic officer under its chief economist Carston Fink...

EPO In Another Attempt To Elect President

Posted on February 26, 2010
The European Patent Office will hold another extraordinary meeting on Monday to try and elect a replacement for outgoing president Alison Brimelow. The 1 March election will be the fourth attempt for one of the candidates to get the required three quarter majority needed to win the seat...

European Commission Gets Tough Treatment From Parliament Over ACTA

Posted on February 25, 2010
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch In a written declaration presented 24 February, members of the Liberal Party Group (ALDE), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and the European People?s Party (EPP) requested the European Commission immediately make all documents related to the ongoing negotiations of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) publicly available...

Tentative Agreement On US Patent Reform, Says Senator

Posted on February 25, 2010
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (Democrat, Vermont) today announced at an “executive business meeting” that a “tentative agreement” had been reached on patent reform legislation. The original intent of the reform, Leahy said, was to “improve patent quality” and “address runaway damage awards that were harming innovation...

Previous | Next

Related Law Bulletins

When Government Inversely Condemns Property by Regulation, Magnitude of State Interest Has No Bearing Upon Just Compensation
The New Jersey Supreme Court recently decided a case in which a p...

Eminent Domain in China: Private property rights law opens the door to capitalism
by Priya Prakash Royal'The revision of the property law delivers a...

Property Owner Fights Zoners Over Planned Cross On Lake Michigan
Friday's Grand Haven (MI) Tribune reports that a St. Joseph, Michi...

Eminent Domain, Fifth Amendment Property Rights, and Government Retaliation
On June 25, 2007, the Supreme Court of the United States dec...