Intellectual Property Law
IP Justice 
International Civil Liberties organization promotes balanced intellectual property laws and free expression.
Post Frequency: 2.8/day Last Entry: November 06, 2009 at 17:18:24 Recent Entries: 298
By Robin Gross
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Lack of Transparency Surrounding Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Negotiations Causes Concern For Many Public Interest Groups
Posted on November 06, 2009The proposed global treaty to address intellectual property rights in a digital environment spurs letters, petitions to US Obama Administration to open the process to public view. The public interest and the concerns of developing countries and small business have been left out of international treaty negotiation process to date providing a skewed proposal, a new leak has confirmed.
IP Justice and Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure File Amicus Brief to US Supreme Court on Software Patents
Posted on October 08, 2009Two international intellectual property policy groups IP Justice and the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) filed an Amicus Curiae Brief in the United States Supreme Court in the Bilski v. Kappos case dealing with software patents...
US Agreement With ICANN Leaves Much Undone: The oversight of the Internet’s infrastructure will become more international under a new government agreement with ICANN. But many concerns remain unresolved (Information Week)
Posted on October 03, 2009The US government appears to be loosening its grip on the governance of the Internet, a move welcomed by many. But critics see the government shirking its obligations to support free expression and free trade. ... ICANN can interfere with freedom of expression by censoring the domain name space and regulating the use of the space indirectly...
ICANN Accountability Post-JPA: No Meaningful Change Expected
Posted on October 01, 2009While many are dancing in the streets over today's decision by the US Government to loosen some of its ties to ICANN as its a single governmental authority, I'm not convinced this decision will change much on a practical level. The Affirmation of Commitments was signed today by ICANN and the US Government to replace the Joint Project Agreement, and expand oversight to a more international community...
ICANN Staff Up To Same Old “Divide & Conquer” of Civil Society Strategy
Posted on September 22, 2009I had a conversation recently with a person who had been actively engaged at ICANN in its early days but became disillusioned and disengaged after a few years because his participation lead him to the conclusion that ICANN staff manage the organization's board of directors and the "community" via the GNSO and the At-Large Advisory Committee...
Public Interest Groups in ICANN Appeal to New President For Fairer Treatment For Civil Society
Posted on September 03, 2009The organization that represents Non-Commercial Internet Users in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) issued an open letter to the Board this week, expressing concern about the possible failure of ICANN's attempt to balance the representation of commercial and noncommercial interests.
ICANN GNSO Chair Joins the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) to Support Civil Society at ICANN
Posted on August 24, 2009GNSO Chair Avri Doria joined ICANN's Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) to support civil society at ICANN in its struggle for a stakeholder group charter that is drafted in a bottom-up fashion and considers the needs of noncommercial users of the Internet...
“Top Ten Myths About Civil Society Participation in ICANN” From the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC)
Posted on August 21, 2009ICANN Staff and the commercial constituencies at ICANN have been busy spreading mis-information about civil society participation at ICANN - largely to keep civil society and noncommercial interests marginalized. For example, ICANN is not allowing the noncommercial users to elect their representatives on the GNSO Policy Council and will instead "appoint" representatives, unlike all the other constituencies at ICANN...
Letter from Non-Commercial Users to ICANN Board of Directors and CEO on Stakeholder Group Charter Issue
Posted on August 18, 2009This letter comes from nearly 150 individual and organizational members of ICANN?s Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC). It is also endorsed by public interest groups outside of NCUC. We are all deeply concerned about the July 30, 2009 ICANN Board decisions regarding the restructuring of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)...
Will ICANN Listen to Civil Society and Respect Noncommercial Users?
Posted on July 26, 2009Public comments on stakeholder group charters are in - again. Comments submitted to ICANN were overwhelmingly in favor of reinstating the consensus charter submitted by noncommercial users. The Internet Governance Project asks "Is ICANN Listening?" to civil society yet.
Scooby Doo and Mystery Crew Take on ICANN to Defend Noncommercial Users
Posted on July 24, 2009Longtime ICANN participant Harold Feld's amusing tale of Scooby Doo and the Mystery Crew go to ICANN.
ICANN Injustices in Stakeholder Group Charters - Ask ICANN to Respect Democratic Process and Noncommercial Users
Posted on July 21, 2009The public is invited to send an email to ICANN on the subject of the injustices of the draft charters proposed for the noncommercial and commercial stakeholder groups in the new GNSO. ICANN will accept public comment on the subject until 23 July. Send a comment to ICANN by sending an email to gnso-stakeholder-charters@icann...
Letter to Support Public Access to Tax-Payer Funded Research
Posted on July 21, 2009Public Interest Organizations Thank US Senators Lieberman and Cornyn for Sponsoring Bill to Improve Public Access to Research Funded By Tax-Payers. IP Justice, Knowledge Ecology International, Electronic Frontier Foundation, OXFAM, Essential Action, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, are part of a broad coalition of groups ...
IP Justice in Financial Times on ICANN Being Driven by Commercial Interests
Posted on July 16, 2009"Icann is full of people who work for corporations and think that Icann should be run like one. When I try to remind people that it is a not-for-profit public benefit organisation, they look at me like I am mad. Icann is dominated by commercial stakeholder groups" said Robin Gross, a cyberspace rights lawyer, and executive director of IP Justice, an international civil liberties organisation...
Membership Roster of ICANN’s Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC)
Posted on July 13, 2009Including Both Non-Commercial Organizations & Individuals.
Is ICANN Accountable to the Global Public Interest? ICANN Ignores Non-Commercial Users in Internet Policy Development Process
Posted on July 13, 2009The message is clear. ICANN has forgotten who it works for - us - Internet users - including noncommercial users. Now is the time to remind ICANN that it must be accountable to the global public interest or it has no business in Internet governance...
IP Justice Comments on ICANN Proposal to Expand Trademarks in Domain Names
Posted on July 06, 2009IP Justice submitted comments today in opposition to the proposals contained in the "IRT Report" a proposal from ICANN's Intellectual Property Constituency to create new trademark rights to domain names that do not exist in law. ICANN's Noncommercial Users Constituency (NCUC) also filed comments with ICANN discussing the substantive problems with the proposal and also the procedural concerns, which led to the creation of a one-sided report...
EFF & PK: Government Still Blocking Information on Secret IP Enforcement Treaty
Posted on May 06, 2009Broken Promises from the Obama Administration Keep Americans in the Dark About ACTA. Public interest groups today called on the US government to stop blocking the release of information about a secret intellectual property trade agreement with broad implications for privacy and innovation around the world...
Global Civil Society Weighs In Supporting Petition for a Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group at ICANN
Posted on May 01, 2009Dozens of civil society organizations from all corners of the globe signed a statement submitted to ICANN's Public Forum supporting the proposal to form a Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) from the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC). Supporters of NCUC's petition include non-commercial organizations such as Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, FreePress, European Digital Rights Initiative, ARTICLE 19, EPIC, Rits-Brazil, Alfa-Redi, Association for Progressive Communications, African Commons, Internet Society of Mauritius, UWI At-Large, ICT Consumers Association of Kenya, Knowledge Ecology International, Privacy International, Yale Law School Information Society Project, and dozens more...
Robin Gross on CBC Radio’s “As It Happens” to Discuss Sweden’s Pirate Bay Legal Decision
Posted on April 18, 2009Invitation to Sign Petition Supporting Noncommercial Stakeholder Group Charter at ICANN
Posted on April 15, 2009Sign Joint Statement Supporting Petition for a Noncommercial Stakeholders Group at ICANN. NCUC invites noncommercial civil society members to consider signing this petition to support NCUC's proposal for a Noncommercial Stakeholder Group. Note: Deadline is today 15 April (5pm in California) to sign-on to the joint civil society statement.
Global Civil Society Statement in Support of Petition for a Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group at ICANN
Posted on April 15, 2009Over 60 Non-Commercial Organizations from all corners of the globe signed in support of the petition from the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) for a stakeholder group at ICANN including Article 19, Privacy International, EPIC, FreePress, Asociatia pentru Tehnologie si Internet, EDRi, Public Knowledge, CPSR, Electronic Frontier Foundation, ICT Consumer Association of Kenya, AGEA DENSI, Association for Progressive Communications, Knowledge Ecology International, University of West Indies At Large Structure, RITS, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, Alfa-Redi, Internet Society Mauritius, International Institute for Sustainable Development, FGV-CTS, Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, and many more NGOs
Ralph Yarro and His Anti-Porn Crusaders March on ICANN
Posted on March 19, 2009ICANN is accepting comments from the public on Yarro and his Anti-Porn Crusaders' March on ICANN until 5 April 2009. SCO Group Chairman Ralph Yarro III, the ultra-conservative behind what Business Week dubbed "the most hated company in tech" (SCO) for stealing the computer code of thousands of Linux open source programmers is now behind efforts to flood ICANN with identical form letters encouraging the adoption of Yarro's "Cybersafety" Constituency during the Public Comment Period...
Non-Commercial Users File Petition to Form Stake-Holder Group at ICANN
Posted on March 16, 2009The essential elements of this proposal are: Noncommercial stakeholders join the NCSG directly, and the NCSG keeps track of membership and administers voting for Council seats by the membership as a whole. The NCSG is administered by an annually elected Chair and a Policy Committee...
Canada Favours Early Release of ACTA Text (Geist)
Posted on March 14, 2009"While the U.S. claims that ACTA documents are a matter of national security and the European Parliament demands greater transparency, it would appear that the Canadian delegation would favour an early release of the draft treaty. According to a confidential November 2008 memorandum that was prepared for Stockwell Day, the Minister of International Trade obtained under the Access to Information Act: At the upcoming meeting in December 2008, given its commitment to transparency in international trade negotiations, the Canadian delegation plans to argue for a transparent approach...
Who are the cleared advisors that have access to secret ACTA documents? (KEI)
Posted on March 13, 2009"The negotiating text of ACTA and many other documents, including even the lists of participants in the negotiations, are secret. The US White House claims the secrecy is required as a matter of "national security". But that does not mean the documents are off limits to everyone outside of the government...
European Parliament to EU: Turn over ACTA docs! (Ars Technica)
Posted on March 12, 2009The European Parliament has demanded more transparency in the EU, and it made a point of singling out the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Parliament has been considering a general transparency bill, but one amendment to the bill demanded access to ACTA documents?access that negotiators have so far been unwilling to provide...
Copyright treaty is classified for ‘national security’ (CNET)
Posted on March 12, 2009"President Obama's White House has tightened the cloak of government secrecy still further, saying in a letter this week that a discussion draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and related materials are "classified in the interest of national security pursuant to Executive Order 12958...
WTO Panel Decision on IP Case Favorable to China, Experts Say (TWN)
Posted on February 17, 2009"The World Trade Organization on 26 January issued a panel report in a case brought by the US challenging China's enforcement of intellectual property rights. While the case has been commonly reported as a victory for the US, careful and detailed analysis of the panel ruling indicates that China's intellectual property laws have been vindicated in the most important areas that were disputed...
ACTA, ISP Liability, Limitations & Exceptions Top Global Copyright Issues in 2009 (IP-Watch)
Posted on February 09, 2009"The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has sparked an outcry from public interest groups. ?The speed with which it has been rushed through - and the secrecy of the meetings and the provisions is alarming,? said IP Justice Executive Director Robin Gross...
Battaglia di copyright sul poster-icona di Obama (La Repubblica)
Posted on February 06, 2009Il suo poster, con i colori della bandiera americana e la scritta "Hope", speranza, ha fatto il giro del mondo, è stato riprodotto in migliaia di riviste e siti Internet, diventando il simbolo della campagna per le presidenziali di Barack Obama. Ma ora Shepard Fairey, il 38enne illustratore di Los Angeles che con quella locandina ha acquisito fama mondiale, si trova improvvisamente al centro di un presunto caso di violazione di copyright: l'agenzia Associated Press ha accusato l'artista di aver copiato il ritratto del 44esimo Presidente degli Stati Uniti da una foto di sua proprietà.
Associated Press Erroneously Claims Copyright Infringement on Obama’s Image in Campaign Poster
Posted on February 05, 2009Poster-Child Case for Fair Use or Illegal Art? The Associated Press is claiming that it is the copyright owner of a photograph of President Obama that was used by an Obama supporter to create to poster for the political campaign and the now-famous poster is a copyright infringement of its photo...
AP Alleges Copyright Infringement of Obama Image (Associated Press)
Posted on February 04, 2009"Robin Gross, an intellectual property attorney who heads IP Justice, an international civil liberties organization, believes that Fairey had the right to use the photo, saying that he intended it for a political cause, not commercial use. "Fairey's purpose of the use for the photo was political or civic, and this will certainly count in favor of the poster being a fair use," said Gross, based in San Francisco...
Details Emerge of Secret ACTA Negotiation (KEI)
Posted on February 03, 2009"There are plans for the next ACTA negotiation to take place in Rabat, Morocco. However, since none of the Obama trade people have been placed at USTR, this might be delayed. The USTR is still maintaining secrecy over details of the negotiation, including the names of participants and all of the proposed texts for negotiations...
WTO Issues Final Decision On US-China Copyright Dispute (IP-Watch)
Posted on January 27, 2009China has been found in violation of two of its responsibilities under international rules on trade and intellectual property, and in partial violation of one more, said a World Trade Organization panel report on the US-China dispute over copyright and customs matters released Monday...
Why the U.S. Lost Its WTO IP Complaint Against China. Badly.
Posted on January 27, 2009The World Trade Organization yesterday released its much-anticipated decision involving a U.S. complaint against China over its protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The U.S. quickly proclaimed victory, with newspaper headlines trumpeting the WTO panel's requirement that China reform elements of its intellectual property laws...
WTO Decision in US v. China on IPR (China won on key points, US won minor points)
Posted on January 26, 2009Read the WTO Decision Here. The WTO, on 26 January 2009, issued the report of a panel that had examined United States? complaint against ?China ? Measures affecting the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights? (DS362).
Obama Picks Hollywood’s Favorite Lawyer for a Top Justice Post
Posted on January 07, 2009Obama's voting record in the US Senate on civil rights issues always troubled me. Sure, he talks beautifully. But he voted for some of the worst things that the Bush Administration did to the US and the world (surveillance on US citizens in Patriot Act, telecom immunity for spying, invading Iraq, etc)...
No ACTA Deal Yet As EU Parliament Seeks Narrower Scope, More Transparency (IP-Watch)
Posted on December 20, 2008"As negotiations on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) continued in Paris this week with again no public details the European Parliament Thursday sent a strong signal by requesting transparency in the negotiations. Parliament meeting in Strasbourg on 18 December passed a resolution on the impact of counterfeiting in international trade ?calls on the [European] Commission and the member states to negotiate ACTA under conditions of the utmost transparency towards the EU citizen...
Canada’s Official Statement on Dec. 2008 ACTA Negotiations
Posted on December 19, 2008The meeting was opened by French Trade Minister, Mrs. Anne-Marie Idrac, who reaffirmed the strong commitment of the EU in favour of intellectual property rights (IPR), against counterfeiting and piracy, and called for constructive and ambitious negotiations...
Paris ACTA Meetings Wrap Up: We’re Safe Until March 2009 (Ars Technica)
Posted on December 19, 2008"Negotiations on the controversial and largely secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) race ever onward, but the process isn't moving quite as fast as proponents had hoped. No deal will now happen before the end of the year, nor before a new US administration takes the reins in late January...
USTR Statement on Dec. 2008 ACTA Negotiations in Paris
Posted on December 18, 2008The meeting was opened by French Trade Minister, Mrs. Anne-Marie Idrac, who reaffirmed the strong commitment of the EU in favour of intellectual property rights (IPR), against counterfeiting and piracy, and called for constructive and ambitious negotiations...
Internet Governance Forum: ACTA A Possible Show-Stopper For IP Progress (IP-Watch)
Posted on December 14, 2008The third annual United Nations-led Internet Governance Forum in Hyderabad, India this month addressed a range of topics related to intellectual property rights and the free flow of information, and provided a venue for doubts about a closed-door international anti-counterfeiting treaty negotiation being led by the United States and Japan...
Get Involved in Internet Policy at ICANN: NonCommercial Users Constituency (NCUC) Membership Drive
Posted on December 02, 2008CALL TO ACTION: Individuals and nonprofit organizations are invited to join ICANN's Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) to become involved in Internet policy discussions. Protect privacy rights, free expression guarantees, and due process of law regarding Internet domain names by getting involved and joining NCUC today.
A2K@IGF Dynamic Coalition Session: Access to Knowledge and Freedom of Expression Policies for the Development of a Global Information Economy?
Posted on December 02, 2008Hyderabad, India - 5 December 2008
Canadian Govt. Keeps ACTA Consultation Results Under Wraps
Posted on November 03, 2008The documents confirm that two countries - the United States and Japan - have emerged as the primary supporters and drafters of the treaty. Countries have met three times in recent months to discuss elements of the treaty with those two countries providing draft treaty language to the other participants just prior to the formal meeting...
European NGO FFII Opposes Stealth Legislation, Demands ACTA Documents Be Made Public
Posted on November 03, 2008The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) has requested 12 secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) documents from the EU Council. Behind closed doors, the EU, US, Japan and other countries are negotiating ACTA. The negotiating parties plan on making the ACTA text public only after the parties have agreed to it...
EU NGO (FFII) Analysis of Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty (ACTA)
Posted on November 02, 2008Behind closed doors the EU, US, Japan and other countries negotiate an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). A leaked discussion paper mentions types of provisions that could be included. According to the European Commission's website, a "path breaking" agreement is foreseen...
Open Letter to World Customs Organization Concerning Increased Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights
Posted on October 28, 2008We the undersigned public interest groups and individuals are writing to raise our concerns about recent developments in the World Customs Organisation, in particular the setting of intellectual property enforcement standards that go beyond the TRIPS agreement (TRIPS plus) in the SECURE Working Group, the lack of dialogue with, and involvement of public interest organisations in the standard setting process and the lack of transparency surrounding the Working Group?s work...
Freedom Not Fear Day 2008 International Campaign
Posted on October 09, 2008Please Join IP Justice, EPIC, and EFF in signing the Freedom Not Fear Declaration. In recognition of Freedom not Fear Day, many US organizations set out the following recommendations: - End Watch Lists, Fusion Centers and other data profiling programs that fail to comply with the full requirements of the federal Privacy Act; - Affirm international human rights, including freedom of expression and privacy protection, so as to strengthen democratic institutions and protect the rights of individuals; - Repeal the Patriot Act and other legal authorities that permit warrantless surveillance and unconstitutional monitoring and tracking of individuals; - End the culture of secrecy that allows government officials to hide mismanagement, fraud, and incompetence behind the veil of "homeland security"; - Establish comprehensive data protection legislation that will safeguard personal information and reduce the risk of identity theft and security breaches...
Cautionary Letter on Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) from US Senators Leahy and Specter to US Trade Representative (USTR)
Posted on October 02, 2008"... we urge you not to rush into a new, broad Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement that may have significant impact on intellectual property protection at home and abroad..."
Secret ACTA Treaty Emerges Blinking into Sunlight (Ars Technica)
Posted on September 24, 2008The much-maligned, drafted-in-secret, Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, is an odd beast. It's being drafted by a group that includes the US, the EU, and Japan... but also Canada, Mexico, and Korea, which are on US Trade Representative's "special 301" watch list for intellectual property problems...
Coalition of Technology Companies and Digital Rights Groups Comment on ACTA to USTR
Posted on September 18, 2008Joint Statement on ACTA from American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Center for Democracy & Technology Computer & Communications Industry Association, Consumer Electronics Association Digital Future Coalition, Entertainment Consumers Association, Home Recording Rights Coalition, Information Technology Association of America, Intel Corporation, Internet Commerce Coalition, IP Justice, Knowledge Ecology International, Medical Library Association NetCoalition, Public Knowledge, Special Libraries Association, US Internet Industry Association, Verizon, Yahoo! Inc.
EFF and Public Knowledge Filed Lawsuit Against USTR demanding Information about the Secret IP Enforcement Treaty (ACTA)
Posted on September 18, 2008U.S. Trade Office Withholds Documents on Secret IP Enforcement Treaty - Public Kept in the Dark About Serious Civil Liberties and Privacy Issues -- "ACTA raises serious concerns for citizens' civil liberties and privacy rights," said EFF International Policy Director Gwen Hinze...
US Says China To Sign Bilateral Cooperation Deals On IP Enforcement (IP-Watch)
Posted on September 17, 2008High-level officials from China and the United States on Tuesday reiterated their joint commitment to ?strategic cooperation? on copyright and trademark protection and enforcement, and agreed to hold further meetings of a joint intellectual property working group in the near future...
In Geneva: The Debate About Debate (IGP)
Posted on September 17, 2008"Tuesday the Internet Governance Forum held its consultations about the 3rd Forum at Hyderabad, India. I am sorry to report that there are still intense pressures to sanitize the IGF program and to prevent the Forum from grappling with the real global governance problems...
UN Agency to Curb Anonymous Internet Communications
Posted on September 16, 2008An alarming report shows that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency that coordinates global telephony policy, is quietly working to make anonymous Internet use impossible. The ITU's "IP Traceback" proposal would enable governments (and some big companies) to spy on every individual's Internet use via embedding specific technical standards in Internet communications protocols...
Secret Counterfeiting Treaty Public Must be Made Public, Global Organizations Say
Posted on September 15, 2008More than 100 public interest organizations from around the world today called on officials from the countries negotiating Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to publish immediately the draft text of the agreement. Secrecy around the treaty negotiation has fueled concerns that its terms will undermine vital consumer interests...
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: Fact or Fiction? (Wired)
Posted on September 15, 2008"There's been speculation for months concerning the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. If ratified, many suggest it would criminalize peer-to-peer file sharing, subject iPods to border searches and allow internet service providers to monitor their customers' communications...
Proposed Copyright Law a ‘Gift’ to Hollywood, Info Groups Say (Wired)
Posted on September 10, 2008"If the Senate version becomes law, it is not immediately clear how the Justice Department's expanded powers would work in practice. For example, would the department assume the role of the Recording Industry Association of America, which has sued more than 30,000 people in the United States for copyright infringement since 2003?...
Public-Interest NGO’s Express Concerns with Proposed Senate Bill on Intellectual Property Enforcement
Posted on September 10, 2008Twelve Public Interest Organizations Send US Senate Judiciary Joint Letter on Concerns Regarding S.3325, the "Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008": "The undersigned groups write to express our concerns with S. 3325, the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008, soon to be marked up in the Committee on the Judiciary...
Access to Knowledge Conference Begins Addressing New Challenges with New Ideas (IP-Watch)
Posted on September 09, 2008A key conference on access to knowledge opened Monday, with veterans of the A2K movement mixed with many new faces and all participants hoping to find new ideas over the next few days, as they seek to clarify the best paths forward. ?The great insight of this movement,? said Yale Law School Information Society Project Director Jack Balkin during the welcome address, ?was bringing together a wide range of people who didn?t even imagine that they were working on similar goals, dispersed as they were in their focus on health, science, movies, music, culture, telecommunications policy, innovation, fair competition, freedom of the press and transparency in governance...
Sen. Joseph Biden’s Anti-Free Speech, Anti-Privacy, and Anti-Internet Platform
Posted on August 24, 2008"US Senator Joseph Biden, Barack Obama's choice for Vice-Presidential candidate has a long track record in the US Senate of chipping away at Americans' privacy rights and freedom of expression rights - especially when it comes to the Internet and technology...
Statement on Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to USTR from US Tech Trade Associations and Companies
Posted on August 07, 2008Letter from AT&T, Amazon.com, Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Consumer Electronics Association, eBay, Information Technology Association of America, Internet Commerce Coalition, NetCoalition, US Internet Service Provider Association, US Telecom Ass...
LEAKED: “Business Perspectives on Border Measures and Civil Enforcement”
Posted on July 29, 2008Leaked Industry-Lobbyist Memo to ACTA Negotiators From "Concerned Business Groups in ACTA Nations" at 2nd Round of Secret Trade Negotiations in Washington, DC from 29-31 July 2008
Public Left Out of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Talks (Toronto Star)
Posted on July 28, 2008"According to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act and reported here for the first time, the [Canadian] government has been crafting an Intellectual Property and Trade Advisory Group. The initial plans for membership in the group were limited exclusively to 12 government departments and 14 industry lobby groups...
Letter to USTR on ACTA from Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Library Copyright Alliance, NetCoalition
Posted on July 23, 2008Tech Industry Statement on 29-31 July 2008 ACTA Negotiations in DC: "We strongly oppose any requirement in ACTA that signatories enact statutory damages... Copyright statutory damages are one feature of our IP law that we should not seek to export......
IP Rights In Standards Impede Competition, Disadvantage Developing Countries (IP-Watch)
Posted on July 17, 2008"Standards and intellectual property rights appear to be worlds apart and to respond to opposite purposes, according to a recent panel of legal and policy experts. While standards are established to ensure compatibility in technology to the advantage of all users at national, regional or international levels, intellectual property rights are meant to provide an exclusive use, reward innovation, and are territorial in nature, according to speakers...
WIPO Development Agenda committee deliberations on norm-setting, open source and creative commons (KEI)
Posted on July 14, 2008"The WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) had rich discussions on Thursday afternoon (July 10, 2008) on norm-setting, open source and creative commons as they related to recommendations 22 and 23 of the Development Agenda. Recommendation 22 states: WIPO?s norm-setting activities should be supportive of the development goals agreed within the UN system, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration...
WIPO Enriched by In-Depth Discussion of Public Domain (KEI)
Posted on July 14, 2008"With respect to the public domain, Richard Owens (WIPO Secretariat) noted that there is a fundamental question of definition that frames the policy debate on this issue. The classical definition of the public domain (in the copyright context) is ?what is not protected by copyright, i...
WIPO Development Committee Ends First Year On Mostly Agreeable Note (IP-Watch)
Posted on July 12, 2008"While the 7 to 11 July meeting of the Committee on Development and IP (CDIP) did not make any profound changes in the operations of WIPO yet, discussions revealed some of the areas where change may be coming. And while there were moments of tension, the overall spirit of the meeting appeared more agreeable than meetings of the past years...
The fight Against Counterfeiting and Piracy in the Bilateral Trade Agreements of the EU (EU Parliament Briefing Paper)
Posted on July 10, 2008By Duncan Matthews (Queens Mary University of London)
Comment on ICANN’s Proposed Plan to Censor Top-Level Domains (Until 17 July 2008)
Posted on July 09, 2008ICANN is Accepting Public Comment on Its Plan to Introduce New GTLDs. Members of the public are encouraged to tell ICANN to protect free expression and individual rights at the top-level of the Internet. ICANN: "At its 25 June 2008 meeting in Paris, France the GNSO Council voted to invite public comments on the 21 June 2008 version of the GNSO Improvements - Top Level Plan prepared by the GNSO Improvements Planning Team...
ACTA Turning ISPs Into Enforcers (LA Times)
Posted on July 09, 2008ACTA, which aims to establish a multinational standard for anti-piracy enforcement, has generated a fair amount of concern in the blogosphere because a) it's being negotiated in secret, as are all trade pacts, and b) some media outlets have suggested that it could lead to people's laptops and iPods being searched at the border...
G8 Governments Want ACTA Finalised This Year, SPLT Talks Accelerated (IP-Watch)
Posted on July 09, 2008Despite issues like the current food, energy and climate crises having taken centre stage at this week?s Group of 8 summit in Japan, governments did not lose sight of earlier plans to promote and more strictly protect intellectual property rights. ...
EFF Statement at WIPO Development Agenda Meeting in Geneva
Posted on July 09, 2008"We support the call for WIPO to initiate discussions on how to facilitate access to knowledge and technology for developing countries and LDCs to foster creativity and innovation, and to facilitate IP-related aspects of ICT for growth and economic, social and cultural development...
G8 Declaration on the World Economy
Posted on July 09, 2008Read Text of GB Declaration on a World Economy and G8's Pledge to Increase Intellectual Property Rights and International Enforcement and to Deputize Customs Agents to Search and Seize Laptops, iPods, and PDA's of Unsuspected Citizens in Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Development Agenda discussions focus on costing of consultants and Business Analysts (KEI)
Posted on July 08, 2008The second session of the the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) is meeting this week in Geneva (July 7-11, 2008). The first meeting of this development committee (March 2008) examined Cluster A (Technical Assistance and Capacity Building) of the 45 approved Development Agenda recommendations...
Comment on ICANN’s Proposed Plan to Censor Top-Level Domains (Until 17 July 2008)
Posted on July 08, 2008ICANN is Accepting Public Comment on Its Plan to Introduce New GTLDs. Members of the public are encouraged to tell ICANN to protect free expression and individual rights at the top-level of the Internet. ICANN: "At its 25 June 2008 meeting in Paris, France the GNSO Council voted to invite public comments on the 21 June 2008 version of the GNSO Improvements - Top Level Plan prepared by the GNSO Improvements Planning Team...
Intellectual Property Regime Stifles Science and Innovation, Nobel Laureates Say (IP-Watch)
Posted on July 07, 2008The basic framework of the intellectual property (IP) regime aims to ?close down access to knowledge? rather than allowing its dissemination, Professor Joseph Stiglitz said at a 5 July lecture on ?Who Owns Science?? Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, and Professor John Sulston, a 2002 Nobel Laureate in Physiology/Medicine, launched Manchester University?s new Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation...
Public’ online spaces don’t carry speech, rights (Associated Press)
Posted on July 06, 2008First Amendment protections generally do not extend to private property in the physical world, allowing a shopping mall to legally kick out a customer wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a smoking child. With online services becoming greater conduits than shopping malls for public communications, however, some advocacy groups believe the federal government needs to guarantee open access to speech...
ICAAN ? Preventing Hatred v. Censorship of TLD Applications (Digital Journal)
Posted on July 06, 2008With all the excitement over expansion of IP addresses to be expanded from 4-string to 6-string format, little has been reported on the current and proposed regulations to restrict new domain registration. Watchdogs are deeply concerned over censorship...
Work Remains For ICANN?s New Top Level Internet Domains (IP-Watch)
Posted on July 01, 2008Internet Technical Body an Authority on Morality? ICANN announced the "biggest extension of the DNS [domain name system] in 40 years" after its decision last week to finish implementation of a new policy for introducing new top-level domains (TLDs). According to the timeline presented at the ICANN meeting in Paris, new TLDs to compete against the existing ...
ICANN Go-Ahead on GTLDs with “String Criteria” of “Morality and Public Order”
Posted on July 01, 2008"There has been wide coverage of ICANN?s decision this week to adopt a new process for creating new global Top Level Domains (gTLDs).... Civil libertarians supporting Susan Crawford?s line argue that if governments are able to pressure ICANN into prohibiting ...
The issue of IPRs in technical
Posted on June 30, 2008The issue of IPRs in technical standards is increasingly seen to be contentious since they at times lead to anticompetitive situations affecting markets and international trade. While standards are adopted internationally and nationally by different standard setting organisations, they are implemented cross border...
Member Nations Balk At World Customs Organization IP Enforcement Push IP-Watch)
Posted on June 27, 2008Concerns ran high in some developing countries last week that their voices have been largely absent from a draft set of standards for heightened intellectual property enforcement advancing rapidly at the World Customs Organization. With the draft standards sent early - and, some say, without mandate - to decision-making bodies at the WCO, the organisation looks poised to become the next major platform for debate on global enforcement of intellectual property, as members discuss the possibility of incorporating IP protection into customs law.
ICANN Board Approves Censorship Policy for Domain Names Based on Morality: 2 Board Members Speak Against It
Posted on June 26, 2008Today in Paris the ICANN Board passed the GNSO's controversial recommendations to censor top level domains based on notions of "morality and public order", and broadly defined "community" wishes. However, 2 ICANN board members, law professors Wendy Seltzer (on behalf of the At-Large Internet Users) and Susan Crawford, made very powerful and compelling statements to protect free expression on the top level of the Internet...
Seizing Laptops and Cameras Without Cause - A controversial customs practice creates a legal backlash (US News & World Report)
Posted on June 24, 2008Returning from a vacation to Germany in February, freelance journalist Bill Hogan was selected for additional screening by customs officials at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. Agents searched his luggage, he said, "then they told me that they were impounding my laptop...
New Zealand to be “Consulted” on Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Industry Standard)
Posted on June 16, 2008The New Zealand public will be consulted on the controversial international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), details of which were leaked on the whistleblower website wikileaks.org. ... Culture and Heritage Minister Judith Tizard has requested submissions on the still tentative ACTA proposal with a deadline of July 14...
Civil Society & Organized Labour Seoul Declaration (OECD Ministerial in Korea)
Posted on June 16, 2008Framework for the Future of the Internet Economy. Freedom of Expression. Protection of Privacy and Transparency. Consumer Protection. Promotion of Access to Knowledge. Internet Governance. Promotion of Open Standards. Balanced Intellectual Property Policies...
Digital Copyright: it’s all wrong. Draft ACTA Treaty Proposes Draconian Measures (Sydney Morning Herald)
Posted on June 09, 2008"The ACTA draft is a scary document. If a treaty based on its provisions were adopted, it would enable any border guard, in any treaty country, to check any electronic device for any content that they suspect infringes copyright laws. They need no proof, only suspicion...
Der Zoll hört mit (dradio.de)
Posted on June 06, 2008EU-Kommission debattiert vertraulich über Anti-Piraterie-Abkommen. Vertreter aus 13 Nationen haben in Genf am Montag und Dienstag dieser Woche über ein internationales Abkommen zur Abwehr von Urheberrechtsverletzungen diskutiert. Nichtregierungsorganisationen warnen, dass unter Ausschluss kritischer Vertreter der Entwicklungsländer Fakten geschaffen werden sollen...
Speculation Persists On ACTA As First Official Meeting Concludes (IP-Watch)
Posted on June 05, 2008European Parliament Study Draws Some Critical Conclusions on ACTA... Dordi agrees with NGOs like Knowledge Ecology International and IP Justice with regard to a certain ?vagueness? in definitions and forum shopping. It was unclear from the use of the terms ?counterfeit? and ?piracy? what the new treaty would actually cover, he wrote.
USTR Press Release on ACTA Negotiations
Posted on June 05, 2008Sean Spicer of USTR on ACTA: "The main focus of the discussion was border measures, particularly how to deal with large-scale intellectual property infringements, which can frequently involve criminal elements and pose a threat to public health and safety...
ACTA and the Threat to Credible Global Governance (Aaron Shaw)
Posted on June 04, 2008"I?ve recently heard through a grapevine that ACTA negotiants have reportedly signed non-disclosure agreements as a condition of their participation in this week?s secret closed-door meeting in Geneva. This is an amazing and frightening step backwards in the history of global governance...
William Patry: An ACTA Call to Arms: No More Secret Govt.
Posted on June 03, 2008Last week I posted about the proposed Ant-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The issue is getting coverage in the blogosphere, but none in the mainstream press at least in the U.S., which is regrettable, since the issues raised are of great public interest...
The Counterfeit Treat (Huffington Post)
Posted on June 03, 2008Today in Geneva Switzerland, at an undisclosed location, the US government, the European Commission, Japan and a handful of other countries will meet in a secret negotiation on a new treaty. The working name is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a name that masks the much broader subject matter, and one that was deliberately chosen to intimate and discourage politicians from expressing opposition to provisions that undermine civil rights and privacy, and which many say will change the substantive rights the public has to use copyrighted works or inventions...
US Supreme Court Hands Big Win to Free Speech Advocates in the IP World
Posted on June 02, 2008[Major League Baseball v. CBC Distribution] By Allonn E. Levy, Esq. "An obvious ?win? for Free Speech advocates and ?netizens? concerned with ensuring open access to information on the Internet, the case also helps the burgeoning field of Internet information consolidators who help consumers collect information and process it...
Congress tries to get Israel off of US intellectual property blacklist (Jerusalem Post)
Posted on May 31, 2008"The USTR said Israel is judged by different standards than others in its watch list tier which don't have as advanced economies. "Our expectations of those countries may not be as high as they are for Israel," said an official in the USTR, speaking on background...
Will Proposed Treaty Make Border Agents Copyright Cops? (Computerworld)
Posted on May 30, 2008An Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) under quiet negotiation by several countries including the U.S and Canada is raising concern in some quarters after a leaked document, purportedly offering more details on the nascent agreement, was posted on the Internet...
Embattled ACTA Negotiations Next Week In Geneva; US Sees Signing This Year (IP-Watch)
Posted on May 30, 2008Formal negotiations on an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) are expected to commence next week in Geneva, according to a European Commission official, even as a leaked United States trade office paper is drawing criticism of the proposed pact...
Acting Against ACTA by Professor Alan Story
Posted on May 30, 2008?If it is a sin for the poor to steal from the rich, it must be a much bigger sin for the rich to steal from the poor. Don?t rich countries pirate poor countries? best scientists, engineers, doctors, nurses and programmers? When global corporations come to operate in the Philippines, don?t they pirate the best people from local firms? If it is bad for poor countries like ours to pirate the intellectual property of rich countries, isn?t it a lot worse for rich countries like the US to pirate our intellectuals?...
Former Canadian Conservative Party Member Admits Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty is Disgraceful and Vows to Fight Against It (Ottawa Citizen)
Posted on May 28, 2008"As a former worker and member of a Riding Board of Directors for the Conservative Party, I feel have to apologize to all Canadians. The new secret copyright deal clearly shows that this government does not care about personal privacy or about Canadians' right to debate and input their own laws...
Let’s stand up to Big Brother (Vancouver Province)
Posted on May 28, 2008The government is secretly negotiating a global pact on copyright infringement that could force Internet service providers to hand over customer information without a court order. Called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, it could well prove a nightmare for ordinary Canadians -- turning border and other security guards into copyright cops who check laptops, iPods and even cellphones for "pirated" CDs and movies...
‘Fair use’ stipulation planned for intellectual property in Japan (asahi.com)
Posted on May 28, 2008"The government will ease its stringent restrictions on using copyrighted works, a development that will affect activities ranging from posting personal pictures on websites to developing Internet search engines, sources said. The Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, led by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, has decided to make a Japanese version of a U...
Govt Wants Into Your Laptop and iPod (Canada.com)
Posted on May 27, 2008The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws that could make the information on iPods, laptops and other devices illegal, according to a leaked government document. The deal could also force Internet service providers to hand over customer information without a court order...
Anti-Piracy Strategy Will Help Govt to Spy, Critic Says - Changes Could Lead to Policing of Legal Activities (Globe & Mail)
Posted on May 26, 2008"This is an attempt here to create a very broad umbrella that strikes at the very heart of every day activities for millions of Canadians," said Michael Geist, law professor at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair of Internet and e-commerce law...
Copyright deal would toughen laptop, iPod laws (Calgary Herald)
Posted on May 24, 2008The [Canadian] federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws, which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of travelling with such devices...
Leaked US Govt. Discussion Paper on Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) from Wikileaks
Posted on May 22, 2008Wikileaks today posted a leaked document from the US Government discussing the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). ACTA is a new multi-lateral trade agreement spearheaded by the US, European Union, Switzerland, Australia, and a select handful of other wealthy nations to create new international legal rules for the regulation of intellectual property rights...
US Congress Cites Free Expression as Reason ICANN Must Remain Controlled by US Govt.
Posted on May 15, 2008US Congressmen are up to their old tricks of pretending to care about free expression publicly, while undermining it's practice with their policy decisions -- especially when it comes to free speech on the Internet. Congressman Edward Markey, the Chairman of the Congressional Sub-committee on Telecommunications and the Internet sent a letter urging the US Government to refuse to relinquish unilateral oversight of ICANN, the US Commerce Department created organization set up to manage the Internet's root server...
Statement at IGF Open Consultation of IGF Dynamic Coalition for Access to Knowledge and Free Expression (A2K@IGF)
Posted on May 13, 2008"IPR protection has always been given to creators and inventors in exchange for some benefit to the public. These are usually included in IP law as exceptions and limitations that can provide a benefit to the public. For example, when copyright owners permit the copying of their materials for private and educational use, they contribute to the general pool of knowledge available on the Internet...
A2K@IGF Statement at IGF Open Consultation (Audio)
Posted on May 13, 2008Statement at the IGF Open Consultation from the IGF Dynamic Coalition for Access to Knowledge and Free Expression (A2K@IGF) (Audio file - .mp3)
Crown copyright is overdue for retirement (Toronto Star)
Posted on May 12, 2008"...Given the significant costs associated with a program that does more harm than good and that appears susceptible to political manipulation, any new copyright reform should eliminate Crown copyright and adopt in its place a presumption that government materials belong to the public domain to be freely used without prior permission or compensation...
Mandate of Advisory Group of Internet Governance Forum Extended
Posted on May 02, 2008The mandate of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum has been extended. The Special Adviser for Internet Governance to the Secretary-General, Nitin Desai, has been asked to continue as the Chairman of the Advisory Group, which will meet again on 13 to 15 May in Geneva before handing over to a renewed group to prepare the next Internet Governance Forum meeting in Hyderabad, India, on 3 to 6 December...
Canadian Law Prof Michael Geist Submission on ACTA to Canadian Govt
Posted on May 01, 2008"I begin by noting that it is difficult to provide meaningful feedback on a treaty that no one has publicly seen. However, with some public documents indicating that lobby groups hope to use the treaty to increase intermediary liability, force cross-border disclosure of Internet service provider subscriber information, and further advance the cause of anti-circumvention legislation, there is reason for concern...
CIPPIC Submission on ACTA to Canadian Government
Posted on April 30, 2008The content of ACTA could have significant implications for Canada. Counterfeiting activity harms Canadian consumers and Canadian trade. All Canadians endorse the dedication of appropriate law-enforcement resources to addressing trade-debilitating commercial infringement...
“The Problem with the Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty (and What To Do About It)” by Aaron Shaw (KEI Studies)
Posted on April 30, 2008In mid-February 2008, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a request for public comments on the proposed ?Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement? (ACTA). However, with the exception of a handful of press releases, information about the proposal itself remains scarce...
Uninvited to the Public Policy Forum Symposium (Howard Knopf)
Posted on April 25, 2008"I have now been uninvited to the Public Policy Forum (?PPF?) IP program entitled INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REFORM: INNOVATION AND THE ECONOMY on April 28, 2008, which will now proceed without me on the program. It seems that strong pressure was brought to bear on PPF to have me removed from the program and that PPF capitulated...
2008 USTR Special 301 Report (full report)
Posted on April 25, 2008The ?Special 301? Report is an annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement, conducted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) pursuant to Special 301 provisions of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act)...
Canada Remains in Good Company in USTR Special 301 Report (Micheal Geist)
Posted on April 25, 2008"The U.S. Trade Representative has released its annual Special 301 report, in which it criticizes dozens of countries over their intellectual property laws while ignoring its own shortcomings. Despite demands from the copyright lobby that Canada be placed on the "Priority Watch List," Canada is again on the lower level Watch List along with 35 other countries including Norway, Greece, Italy, Spain, and South Korea...
USTR’s 2008 Special Section 301 Report (William Paltry)
Posted on April 25, 2008On Friday, April 25th, the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued its 2008 Special 301 report. Nine countries were placed on the naughtiest of the naughty list, the Priority Watch List: China, Russia, Argentina, Chile, India, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, and Venezuela...
Internet Bill of Rights Coalition on “Search Engine” (CBC Radio)
Posted on April 18, 2008Radio interview (.mp3) of Robin Gross and Robert Guerra discuss the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Dynamic Coalition for an Internet Bill of Rights on CBC's "Search Engine" with host Jesse Brown.
Draft Programme Outline for the Third Meeting of the IGF in Hyderabad in Dec. 2008
Posted on April 08, 2008“Reflections from Fordham 2008 ” from Howard Knopf
Posted on April 03, 2008The annual Fordham International Intellectual Property Law and Policy Conference has just taken place, as always The First Thursday and Friday After Easter.? The following is a very limited and personal take on a very complex and comprehensive conference.
IP Justice White Paper on the Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Posted on March 25, 2008Anti-Consumer and Anti-Public Interest Treaty Proposed by Intellectual Property Industry, US, Europe, Switzerland, and Japan
Provisions for ACTA - According to Office of US Trade Representative
Posted on March 25, 2008According to Oct. 2007 USTR "Fact Sheet", the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) would contain the following provisions: International Cooperation, Enforcement Practices & New Legal Framework....
ACTA?s Misguided Effort to Increase Govt Spying and Ratchet-Up IPR Enforcement at Public Expense
Posted on March 21, 2008IP Justice Comments to the U.S.T.R. on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). IP Justice firmly believes that ACTA?s costs to the public far outweigh any public benefit it might provide. The financial expense to tax-payers to fund ACTA would be enormous and steal scarce resources away from programs that deal with genuine public needs like providing education and eliminating hunger...
Essential Action Comments to USTR on Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Posted on March 20, 2008The comments argue that background information on the treaty conflate the concepts of counterfeiting, "piracy" and infringement. "An agreement based on, or reflecting, such a conflation of distinct concepts is likely to be overly broad, proscribing behavior that cannot correctly be identified as counterfeiting and that is not necessarily detrimental to the public interest...
Comments of Knowledge Ecology International on the Proposal for ACTA
Posted on March 20, 2008The Lack of Transparency is Not Encouraging. The Request for Comment in the February 15, 2008 Federal Register (Volume 73, Number 32), contains very little information about the proposal. The "Fact Sheet" on the USTR website has very little real information...
“UNESCO Policy Guidelines on the Development and Promotion of Governmental Public Domain Information” (Paul Uhlir) 2004
Posted on March 20, 2008Public-Interest Principles for the Networked Communications Environment
Posted on March 18, 2008Why is Free Expression Important in an Information Society? The UK-based "Freedom of Expression Project" posted "Public Interest Principles for the Networked Communications Environment". The draft document provides useful analysis on the importance of freedom of expression, open standards, interoperability, respect for privacy, and balanced copyright law as key policy goals for a healthy and robust information society...
WIPO Copyright Committee Considers Many Proposals for 2008 Work Program
Posted on March 15, 2008WIPO Copyright Committee: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ‘Broadcast Treaty Chair’ Remains, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright Considered (15 March 2008) The WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR) met from 10-12 March 2008 in Geneva to debate the future work program for the committee after the Member States of the WIPO General Assembly told the committee last Fall [...
USTR - Special 301 Public Submissions 2008
Posted on March 15, 2008Industry submissions to the USTR regarding its Special 301 list to recommend trade sanctions against foreign countries....
CFP 2008 Call for Proposals on “US Technology Policy for the Next Administration”
Posted on March 14, 2008This year, the 18th annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference will focus on what constitutes technology policy. CFP: Technology Policy '08 is an opportunity to help shape public debate on those issues being made into laws and regulations and those technological infrastructures being developed...
Text Adopted by WIPO Copyright Committee on Exceptions and Limitations
Posted on March 13, 2008Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay presented a proposal which elaborated further the proposal by the delegation of Chile (SCCR/13/5). Many of the delegations who took the floor supported the proposal, in whole or in part. Other delegations expressed support or opposition to specific elements of document SCCR/13/5, which are reflected in their interventions in the report of the meeting...
Sign the Petition to EU Parliament to Use Open Standards and Promote Interoperability
Posted on March 13, 2008If you are a European citizen, sign the petition to "Open Parliament" and encourage the use of open standards and interoperable systems in the European ICT sector. The Open Parliament Petition states that citizens should not have to use the software of a single company in order to communicate with their elected officials or participate in the legislate process...
WIPO Copyright Committee Done For Year; Exceptions And Limitations ?Here To Stay?
Posted on March 12, 2008"The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Wednesday concluded work until next November in a way similar to recent years, with the same chair, European dominance, no agreement, and division over a proposed treaty on broadcasters? rights...
“Privacy-Invasive” Domain Name Trademark Bill Before US Congress
Posted on March 12, 2008Sign the Petition. A new bill (S. 2661) is currently before the US Congress that would once again expand trademark rights to domain names and threaten free expression on the Internet. The bill, introduced by US Senator Snowe (R-Maine), also contains a privacy-invasive provision over the revelation of "whois" data (ICANN's online database about website owners)...
US Govt Seizes Blacklisted Domain Names of European Company for Selling Cuba Trips
Posted on March 11, 2008"An interesting story broke recently in the NY Times about a Spanish travel company that had its domain names taken away by the US Government for selling Europeans vacations to Cuba. Even though the company's business was not targeted at the US and was lawful in its national jurisdiction, the company's websites were put on a domain name blacklist maintained by the US Treasury Department...
New Proposal At WIPO For Exceptions and Limitations Agreement; US Unconvinced (IP-Watch)
Posted on March 11, 2008"Several nations have joined Chile in presenting a new proposal for work on limitations and exceptions to this week?s meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee. The work would include establishing an international agreement on the issue...
WIPO Copyright Committee Begins New Era With Revised Agenda, Same Chair (IP-Watch)
Posted on March 11, 2008The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Monday began a new era in the wake of a failed decade of negotiations for a broadcasters? rights treaty. But it will tackle its new agenda including limitations and exceptions to copyright with the same chairman who guided the broadcasting talks with fervour...
Corporate Reps and US Trade Officials Meet in New York to Discuss ACTA (Aaron Shaw)
Posted on March 11, 2008?Representatives from the International Chamber of Commerce?s (ICC) Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative gathered with government officials in New York yesterday to discuss strategies for ending the international trade in fake goods...
WIPO Member States Request Agenda for Copyright Exceptions and Limitations
Posted on March 10, 2008A group of developing countries submitted a proposal for a work program for WIPO's Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights (SCCR) on 10 March 2008. The new proposal from Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay, calls for work on three areas: identification from members? national IP systems of models and practices on exceptions and limitations; analysis of exceptions and limitations needed to promote and disseminate creation and innovation; and establishment of an agreement on exceptions and limitations for the public interest, as a minimum in all national legislatio
Freedom of Expression at Risk by Council of Europe
Posted on March 06, 2008The Council of Europe needs something useful to do. Although the inter-governmental organization of European states frequently makes beautiful statements about the importance of freedom of expression and other human rights, unfortunately, the actions of the CoE too frequently take another direction: censorship...
Complaint Lodged Over EU Parliament?s Exclusive Use Of Microsoft Systems (IP-Watch)
Posted on March 06, 2008A formal complaint has been lodged with the European Parliament over how its information technology systems rely almost exclusively on software manufactured by Microsoft. Advocates of open standard software, which is developed on a not-for-profit basis, allege that the Seattle-based giant enjoys an effective monopoly or ?lock-in? within the European Union institutions...
“Conceiving an International Instrument on Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright” (Hugenholtz, Okediji / March 2008)
Posted on March 06, 2008"The task of developing a global approach to limitations and exceptions (?L&E?s?) is one of the major challenges facing the international copyright system today. As mechanisms of access, L&E?s contribute to the dissemination of knowledge, which in turn is essential for a variety of human activities and values, including liberty, the exercise of political power, and economic, social and personal advancement...
Trent Reznor Puts Fans in Charge with Successful Experimental Business Model
Posted on March 05, 2008Trent Reznor has rocked the music world once again. The long-time front man for Nine-Inch-Nails is convinced the current music business infrastructure is broken since it requires artists to rely on labels. Reznor is looking for a new model. Last year NIN broke free from its major label and decided to go independent, look to its fans for support, and experiment with new business models made possible by the Internet...
Business, Governments See Momentum For ACTA, But EU Snags (IP-Watch)
Posted on March 04, 2008"Critics Raise Doubts on Narrow ACTA Process. But some ACTA critics say that is not enough, and that developing countries and civil society groups not part of the inter-governmental discussions are at a disadvantage from the outset. "These talks have all been going on between a select handful of countries that will basically decide what the parameters of the agreement will be and the concerns of developing countries, the concerns of civil societies, won't be included in the final text," said Robin Gross, executive director of the civil liberties organisation IP Justice...
WIPO Development Agenda Proposals CDIP/1
Posted on March 04, 2008Documents for discussion at the WIPO CDIP/1 Meeting in March 2008: (a) Preliminary Implementation Report with respect to the 19 proposals identified for immediate implementation by WIPO; and (b) Initial Working Document regarding the implementation of the 26 agreed proposals...
?Less Difficult? First WIPO Development Committee Meeting Begins (IP-Watch)
Posted on March 03, 2008The ?historic? first day of the new World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) opened with a focus on procedure, a focus likely to carry through the whole first week, according to participants. ?The goal [of this week?s meeting] is to progress on the first and most important item agreed in the General Assembly last year: to develop a work programme for the implementation of the adopted recommendations,? said C...
Multilateral agreements and a TRIPS-plus world: The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), 2004 (Musungu Dutfield/Quakers)
Posted on March 02, 2008Bilateral Agreements and a TRIPS-Plus World: The Chile-USA Free Trade Agreement, 2004 (Roffe/ICTSD)
Posted on March 02, 2008Exploring Options and Modalities to Move the New Development Agenda Forward, 2005 (Oxford)
Posted on March 02, 2008Education, IPRs and Fundamental Freedoms: The Right To Knowledge, 2005 (Suthersanen)
Posted on March 02, 2008Circumventing Competition: The perverse consequences of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, 2006 (Timothy B. Lee/Show-Me-Institute)
Posted on March 02, 2008The International Copyright System: Limitations, Exceptions and Public Interest Considerations for Developing Countries in the Digital Environment (Okediji/ UNCTAD-ICTSD)
Posted on March 02, 2008USTR 2008 Trade Policy Agenda and 2007 Annual Report (Mar. 2008)
Posted on March 02, 2008Annual Report from the Office of the United States Trade Representative on efforts to influence national laws of other countries to better serve US industry.
The International IP Enforcement Landscape from a Developing Country Perspective: South Center Research Paper 15
Posted on March 01, 2008Free, Open Software Supporters Advocate Against Microsoft Document Standard (IP-Watch)
Posted on February 29, 2008One Internet, two modes of governance (IGP)
Posted on February 27, 2008"Having received nearly 170 comments representing a diversity of civil society, private sector and government views from inside and outside the United States, it should be clear to the NTIA that its processes and decisions are relevant to a global Internet community...
Statement of the IGF Dynamic Coalition on an Internet Bill of Rights at the IGF Consultations in Geneva
Posted on February 26, 2008Class Action Lawsuit Against Network Solutions & ICANN for “Front-Running” of Domains and Defrauding Consumers
Posted on February 25, 2008Domain Names are Bigger than Trademarks: ICANN’s New Consumer Protection Role
Posted on February 20, 2008Gilberto Gil’s challenge: Reconciling counter-culture with copyright (Gazette)
Posted on February 16, 2008Comments to US Government on Review of Joint Project Agreement with ICANN by Robin Gross
Posted on February 15, 2008US-Antigua Gambling Dispute Highlights Defect in the WTO Dispute Settlement System (IQsensato)
Posted on February 08, 2008WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) 16th Session - 10-12 March 2008
Posted on February 04, 2008“It’s Time to Overhaul Copyright Law”: Law Should Distinguish Between Cultural and Commercial Uses (Guardian UK)
Posted on January 29, 2008“The Changing Structure and Governance of Intellectual Property Enforcement” (SouthCentre Research Paper)
Posted on January 21, 2008WTO: Antigua Awarded Modest Cross-Retaliation Rights in Gambling Dispute with US (ICTSD)
Posted on January 16, 2008MIT Courseware Provides Online Model for Digital Education (Toronto Star)
Posted on January 14, 2008WTO Gives Antigua Right to Violate US Copyrights in Gambling Dispute (IHT))
Posted on December 21, 2007Granny Hackers Make History: First Computer Programmers Inspire Documentary
Posted on December 05, 2007ICTSD Issue Paper: “Intellectual Property and Competition Law: Exploring Some Issues of Relevance to Developing Countries? by Prof. Carlos Correa
Posted on December 05, 2007IGP Blog on ICANN Domain Name Policy: “Land Grab? ccTLDs and multilingual names”
Posted on December 05, 2007The Proposed Reform Of Venezuelan Constitution: Cultural And Intellectual Property Issues (IP-Watch)
Posted on November 30, 2007UN Committee Questions CAFTA?s IP Provisions On Human Rights Grounds (IP-Watch)
Posted on November 29, 2007WTO Launches Probe On China Distribution; Reviews Thai IP Policies (IP-Watch)
Posted on November 28, 2007Kenyan Copyright Board Takes Piracy War to Cyber Cafes (Africa Business Daily)
Posted on November 27, 2007UN Economic & Social Council Report on COSTA RICA: “Draft Concluding Observations of the Comm. on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/CRI/CO/4)
Posted on November 23, 2007Remarks of Magaly Pazzelo of IGF Dynamic Coaliton on Gender and Internet Governance (IGF-Rio 2007)
Posted on November 15, 2007Amnesty International renews its call on governments and companies to make human rights central to internet governance at IGF-Rio
Posted on November 12, 2007US Lawmakers Seek To Fuel International IP Enforcement Activities (IP-Watch)
Posted on November 08, 2007US-Peru Trade Deal The First Test Of Renegotiated IP Provisions (IP-Watch)
Posted on November 05, 2007Explanation of NCUC’s Votes on Whois at LA ICANN Meeting - “Halloween Vote” on Whois
Posted on November 04, 2007Librarians Say US Surveillance Bills Lack Adequate Oversight (Wash Post)
Posted on November 02, 2007Canadian Gov’t Commissioned Study Finds P2P May Increase Sales (Globe & Mail)
Posted on November 02, 2007“Open Documents and Democracy: A Political Basis for Open Document Standards” (Yale ISP)
Posted on November 01, 2007Internet Governance Forum To Return To Critical Internet Resources Issue (IP-Watch)
Posted on October 30, 2007ICANN Board Discusses Policy to Censor New Domain Names: Public Encouraged to Attend LA Meeting and Voice Concerns
Posted on October 28, 2007International copyright trends & Access to Knowledge (A2K) initiatives in Africa
Posted on October 20, 2007US should be more rational about IPR issues - China official UPDATE (Forbes.com)
Posted on October 18, 2007WTO Inquiry Launched Into US Complaints Against China?s IP Record (IP-Watch)
Posted on September 27, 2007WTO Dispute Panel Created in China Subsidy Case, as US Ratchets Up Pressure (Bridges)
Posted on September 05, 2007The Threat of Technological Protection Measures to a Development-Oriented Information Society (South Centre Policy Brief 9)
Posted on August 30, 2007IP Justice Comments on GNSO New GTLD Committee Recommendations: Proposal Would Create a Private Tyranny of Illegal Censorship and Illegitimate Authority at ICANN
Posted on August 30, 2007Policing the Academy for Pirates: Educators are on the wrong side of the copyright wars (Reason)
Posted on August 22, 2007Teen Pleads Guilty in First Theater Filming Case; Movie Chain Pressured Prosecutor to Charge Her (Wired)
Posted on August 22, 2007UC-Berkeley students face tougher piracy rules this fall (SiliconValley.com)
Posted on August 16, 2007Internet Governance Forum 2006 Videos from “Imagining the Internet” Project
Posted on August 07, 2007Reverse engineering gets the nod in new New Zealand Copyright Bill draft, however consumers have reason to be concerned (ComputerWorld)
Posted on August 07, 2007“Freedom of Expression, Democratic Norms, and Internet Governance” by Dawn Nunziato
Posted on August 04, 2007Computer Industry Files Complaint with FCC Over Inaccurate Copyight Warnings (WSJ)
Posted on August 01, 2007Canada’s Supreme Court Rules to Permit Parallel Importation and Free Trade (CBC)
Posted on July 26, 2007
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Squeaky Fromme, would-be Ford assassin and Manson devotee, released from prison
On 08-14 at 15:19PM
Likely unintended consequence of cash-for-clunkers stimulus is dampening of 2010 spending
On 08-14 at 14:34PM
Palm seeks to halt Palm Pre Android theme on copyright and trademark ground
On 08-12 at 17:30PM
Congressional investigation demonstrates Karl Rove lied about his active role in US attorney's firing
On 08-12 at 16:20PM
Family of New York City swine flu victim to sue city for failure to secure school #nyc #swineflu
On 08-12 at 12:59PM
Real Network's DVD copying software deemed to break DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions
On 08-12 at 12:57PM
Prepaid funeral operators indicted for $100 Million fraud
On 08-12 at 12:53PM
NY Jets join Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, Houston & Seattle #NFL teams offering branded state lottery games
On 08-12 at 12:43PM
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Personal information/online harassment?
Quit talking with people on message boards that support these activities. The se...
Is there a time limit where someone can't be convicted of a sexual crime after the child has told someone?
The statute of limitations can differ from state to state. Look into it by conta...
My children's school is falsely charging me with truancy. The local district justice works for the school in the most blatently open way. And his wife works for the district, too! They have violated private health record
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