International Property Rights Newsletter – April 27, 2015 N. 30
International Property Rights Newsletter – April 27, 2015, N.30
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Events
Get Up, Stand Up, for Music (and for Intellectual Property!)
When: Thursday, April 30, 2015 9:30 am to 1:00 pm
Where: One Constitution Ave NE, Washington DC
The event will explore emerging issues in intellectual property, including patent reform, the new role of the record label in the digital music era, and the increasing importance of IP to U.S. trade issues. To RSVP email: erin@ipi.org
4th Annual Conference-
Istanbul Network for Liberty: “Civil Society and Free Market Economy in Mainly Muslim Countries”
18-20 May 2015, Marrakech, Morocco More info
North America
PRA Celebrates World Intellectual Property Day
On April 26, innovators and creators across the globe recognize World Intellectual Property day, and the important contribution of IP to the innovative global economy. IP rights are the driving force behind modern economic growth, creating valuable technology used across all industries, improving and streamlining business practices, increasing economic productivity, and creating millions of jobs. Continue Reading
World IP Day 2015: Good and Bad News on Key Battles
This Sunday, April 26, is World Intellectual Property Day ( World IP Day) and the theme for this year’s observance is the protection of the intellectual property of music. Continue Reading
How Slashing Taxes Could Increase How Many Superstar Inventors Move to US
One of the ways that low taxes promote economic growth is by attracting people with valuable ideas. In a new working paper, economists from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University measured how many “superstar inventors” are attracted by low taxes.Continue Reading
Budget 2015 Improves Canada’s Intellectual Property Framework
The Federal Government’s 2015 Budget proposes significant improvements in Canada’s intellectual property framework, protecting the confidential communications between innovators and their IP advisors from forced disclosure in litigation and providing the Canadian Intellectual Property Office with the ability to extend deadlines in cases of force majeure events. Continue Reading|
Federal Circuit pulls the plug on ‘disparaging’ trademark application
A US appeals court has affirmed a decision from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that rejected a trademark application for the phrase ‘The Slants’ on the grounds that it was disparaging. Continue Reading
A Win for Innovation and Intellectual Property
As the world celebrates World IP Day on Sunday, intellectual property is becoming one of the most important issues facing Congress. Protecting IP is a core government function that can help grow the economy, which in turn helps taxpayers and consumers. Continue Reading
US Business Group in China Urges More Transparency, Access
The American Chamber of Commerce in China called Tuesday for more government transparency and fairness as the confidence of U.S. companies in the country’s investment climate deteriorates. Continue Reading
Ibero-America
Get Up, Stand Up For Your Intellectual Property Rights
On April 26, Jamaica will join the world in celebrating World Intellectual Property Day, or WIP Day. It will be a special occasion for us as the global theme for 2015 is ‘Get Up, Stand Up For Music’, which was inspired by the Bob Marley and the Wailers hit song that implored people to enforce their rights. Continue Reading
No-Stress Or Strife: Life’s Easier In Uruguay
It’s one of the best places in the world to buy and own farmland. In Uruguay, foreign individuals can buy property, including farmland, with the same rights as Uruguayan citizens. Continue Reading
Europe/Eastern Europe
Music Is Focus For This Year’s International IP Day At WIPO
Music is the chosen theme of the World Intellectual Property Organization to celebrate this year’s World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April. The organisation has a series of events planned starting next week, and in particular a roundtable on the future of the music industry with a panel of speakers from across the world. Continue Reading
Why intellectual property matters (also) in business
IP has a universal value as it is strongly linked to evolution, innovation and progress of the society. It refers to intellectual creations such as: books, music, software, databases, film, painting, photography, advertisements, maps, drawings and other literary and artistic works, inventions, designs, images, trademarks, names used as brands, etc. Continue Reading
PIPCU reveals 10m site diversions to mark World IP Day
A UK police force dedicated to fighting intellectual property crime has revealed it has diverted more than ten million websites that were allegedly infringing copyright to an official warning page. Continue Reading
Louis Vuitton hit with double blow by European court
Luxury brand Louis Vuitton has been hit with a double blow after a European court invalidated two of its Community trademarks (CTMs) following a challenge by a German company. Continue Reading
PRA Celebrates World Intellectual Property Day
On April 26, innovators and creators across the globe recognize World Intellectual Property day, and the important contribution of IP to the innovative global economy. IP rights are the driving force behind modern economic growth, creating valuable technology used across all industries, improving and streamlining business practices, increasing economic productivity, and creating millions of jobs. World IP day is a time to congratulate the work of all stakeholders committed to strengthening this vital protection, and recognizing the contribution of innovators and creators across the planet. Continue Reading
Eurasia
New Russian anti-piracy law set for May 1
Russia-based pirate site operators have been given a final warning by government, with an amendment to the country’s copyright law coming into force on May 1. Continue Reading
New Russian Anti-Piracy Law Could Block Sites “Forever”
People who run ‘pirate’ sites out of Russia have been given a final warning by the government. Amendments to local copyright law that come into force May 1 not only protect more content than ever before, but also contain provisions to permanently block sites that continually make unauthorized content available. Continue Reading
Asia/Southeast Asia
Apple wins voice recognition patent case in China
US tech giant Apple today won a case relating to patent on voice recognition technology in China over a Chinese government agency and a Shanghai technology company. Continue Reading
National IPR Policy still awaited
India is yet to reformulate a national policy on intellectual property rights (IPRs), though this had been expected to be announced early this year. A draft policy was issued in November 2014 for stakeholder comment. A second round of consultations concluded in February. The document had come under a lot of attack from both domestic and international business. Continue Reading
MyIPO Targets 5 Per Cent Increase In Intellectual Property Applications
The Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) has projected the number of applications and registration of new intellectual property rights to increase by five per cent this year from 44,241 applications last year. Its director-general, Shamsiah Kamaruddin said of the applications received last year, 17,693 were from local individuals and companies, while 26,548 from foreign companies. Continue Reading
Trademark squatting: Brands beware
Brand owners that are not keeping tabs on events in China are vulnerable to the phenomenon of trademark squatting, and the law may not be that much help. Continue Reading
Fake goods hurt real people
Buying counterfeit goods may not be a big deal to you. You get to save money and the only ones who get hurt are the big corporations whose goods are being copied, right? Unfortunately, there are many others who get hurt along the way. That fake item could have been made by lowly-paid teenagers held hostage by gangs forcing them to be prostitutes. Continue Reading
Middle East/Africa
More stringent laws needed to stop counterfeit drug trade
More stringent laws for crimes involving counterfeit drugs are needed, said speakers on the concluding day of the Emirates International Conference on Combating Drug Counterfeiting that is being held in Dubai. Continue Reading|
World authorities call for unity against counterfeit drugs
The vigilance and active networking of governments are a panacea to the international crime of manufacture, sale and distribution of counterfeit or substandard medicines that the World Health Organisation has estimated to value at $200 billion in recent years. Continue Reading”
Call for state protection of intellectual property rights
The government needs to strengthen its fight against the infringement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) to mitigate huge losses of between 540bn/- and 900bn/- the country has been suffering annually due to counterfeiting, the prosecution has advised. Continue Reading
Australasia
Solomons to modernise intellectual property rights law
The Ministries of Justice, Tourism and Foreign Affairs are all pitching into the project with Intellectual property rights experts and a representative from the World Intellectual Property Organisation. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, Freddy Me’esa, says there is an urgent need to protect Solomon Islanders and their culture, traditional knowledge and practices from exploitation in this internet age. Continue Reading
Game of Thrones piracy hits new high, a third of Australian viewers not paying
Game of Thrones set ratings records when the first episode of the new season premiered last week but, in news somewhat less exciting for broadcaster HBO, it set records for piracy as well. Media intelligence firm TruOptik recorded more than 13 million downloads of the first episode, reports BitTorrent news blog Torrent Freak, far exceeding the 8 million watermark set by last season’s finale. Continue Reading
Free-Trade and Property Rights
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Conservative Groups Support Passage of Trade Promotion Authority
TPA is a necessary step to get Congress moving on a long-stalled trade agenda. Without it, there is little hope that this Congress will make any progress on advancing free trade, a conservative public policy goal which all our organizations support. Continue Reading
Obama: Liberal trade critics ‘don’t know what they’re talking about’
Obama delivered a fiery speech at the Organizing for Action summit in Washington, designed to enlist his base to support the fast-track trade bill his administration says is crucial to finalizing a pair of international agreements at the top of his agenda.Continue Reading
Congress Should Enact Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)
TPA is extremely important to have if any further progress is going to be made on free trade. The executive branch must have the ability to tell negotiators from other countries that what is hammered out at the table is not going to be endangered by legislative shenanigans back home. Continue Reading
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
What will EU parliamentarians vote on TTIP?
If EPP members are mobilised, and a small number of S&D MEPs break the group line (or simply don’t vote), then a narrow majority may push through a softened ISDS, writes Doru Frantescu. Continue Reading
Pacific Alliance
PromPeru to attend “Pacific Alliance Workshop” in Colombia
The entity in charge of promoting Peru’s tourism, export services, and goods is at it again. Peru’s Export and Tourism Promotion Board, PromPeru, is traveling to Colombia to participate in the “Pacific Alliance Workshop” from April 23-24, according to Andina news agency. Continue Reading
“Hot Issue”
Plain Packaging
State wants tobacco packaging challenge referred to EU court
The State wants to have a legal challenge brought against its plan to introduce plain packaging on tobacco products referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Commercial Court has heard. Continue Reading
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