EIFL Calls on WTO to Support LDC Request

[Electronic Information for Libraries] EIFL has called on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to grant a request by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to extend the LDC TRIPS exemption for as long as a country remains an LDC. Article 66.1 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) grants Least Developed Countries (LDCs) an exemption from implementing the substantive obligations for protection and enforcement of IP rights, including copyright… It shields LDCs from having to adopt higher standards of copyright protection, provides policy space to craft copyright exceptions, such as for libraries and education, to support national priorities on education, literacy, research and innovation, and it avoids costly obligations with regard to the establishment of new criminal procedures, border controls, and other enforcement measures. Click here for more.

Scope of Compulsory License and Government Use of Patented Medicines in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

[South Centre] To meet public health needs, such as in the current COVID-19 emergency, governments can use compulsory licenses and government use as a tool for procurement and import of patented medicines. These mechanisms are provided for in most laws worldwide. The WTO TRIPS Agreement, as reaffirmed by the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health, recognises the right of WTO members to grant compulsory licenses and their freedom to determine the grounds upon which such licenses may be granted (read our Call for Action on Intellectual Property and Trade Measures to Address the Covid-19 Crisis here). Click here for more.

WEBINAR: AI and Digital Trade: An Introduction to Technologies and Real World Practice

[Bounemouth University Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management, 23 March 2021, 15:00GMT] Artificial Intelligence and its central role in the digital economy is resulting in much regulatory activity in Europe and beyond as countries seek to maximise their international competitiveness. Beyond the hype, this workshop seeks to explore in some detail how AI technologies are created, and how given their importance from an economic competition and national defence perspective they are increasingly the subject of provisions in free trade agreements. The nature of cutting-edge AI and the new restrictions in trade deals present new challenges to established IP models. Click here for more.

See also: WEBINAR, Bournemouth University, 17 March – Niva Elkin-Koren – Contesting Algorithms: restoring the public interest in AI Content. Link.

US Lawmakers Urge Biden to Support TRIPS Waiver Proposal at WTO

[D. Ravi Kanth] A group of lawmakers from the Democratic Party want US President Joe Biden to support the TRIPS waiver proposal that seeks to temporarily suspend several provisions in the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, said a source familiar with the development. South Africa, India, and nine other developing countries have proposed the TRIPS waiver for temporarily suspending provisions in the TRIPS Agreement relating to copyrights, industrial designs, patents, and protection of undisclosed information in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic by ramping up production of medical equipment, therapeutics, and vaccines across many countries. Click here for more on twn.my.

VIDEO: Remaking the Makers Movement

[Matthew Rimmer] This event focused on the role of innovation spaces — such as makerspaces, Fab Labs, hackerspaces, TechShop, and innovation hubs, incubators, and accelerators. It considered the evolution, growth, and transformation of innovation spaces; the demise of TechShop, the evolution of Fab Labs, as well as the reconstitution of the Maker Movement. The event explored how such innovation spaces manage intellectual property — including copyright, trade marks, designs, patents, and trade secrets. It also explored how the Maker Movement draws upon open licensing — such as through open source software, open source hardware, and the Creative Commons. Click here for more.

Taking Access Seriously

[BJ Ard] Abstract: Copyright is conventionally understood as serving the dual purposes of providing incentives for the creation of new works and access to the resulting works. In most analysis of copyright, however, creation takes priority. When access is considered, it is often in the context of how access relates back to the creation of new works. Largely missing is an account of the value of access on its own terms. So what is the place of access in copyright law and policy? A set of cases dealing with copyright owners’ attempts to enjoin the markets created by new playback and distribution technologies is instructive. Click here for more.