February 28, 2011

IP-ENFORCEMENT ROUNDUP

Administrative Note – PIJIP is discontinuing our Google group of press contacts interested in IP Enforcement news, and migrating the email addresses to this new email list “IP-ENFORCE-NEWS.”  You will still receive the weekly IP Enforcement Roundup.

New Zealand and Chile proposals for Trans Pacific Partnership IP chapters leaked

The New Zealand and Chile proposals for the TPP leaked last week are now available.  They are less detailed than other IP chapters in trade agreements with the US, generally upholding TRIPS and concentrating more on cooperation between parties and promoting a balance of rights among stakeholders.  The Chilean text includes a provision affirming parties’ rights to “establish provisions to facilitate the exercise of permitted acts where technological measures have been applied.” The New Zealand text requires parties to implement the provisions “in a manner that avoids the creation of barriers to legitimate activity, including electronic commerce, and… preserves fundamental principles such as rights and freedom of expression, fair process and privacy.”  However, the New Zealand proposal contains proposals on copyright enforcement that would include criminal procedures for non-commercial copyright infringement.  Click here for more information and the leaked texts.

External review of WIPO technical assistance projects seeks input from the public

WIPO has solicited input “from all relevant stakeholders regarding their experience and views on the impact, orientation, cost-efficiency, management and coordination of WIPO technical assistance over the past three years.”  The request for public input is part of an external review commissioned by WIPO as part of its work on the development agenda.  The original deadline has been extended to March 7, 2011.  Click here for more.

USTR announces speakers and panelists for March 2 hearing on Special 301

On Wednesday, the interagency committee headed by USTR that writes the Special 301 Report will hold a public hearing to get input from interested parties .  The list of speakers includes four country representatives, four right holder groups/firms, ten civil society groups, and one organization comprised of US state legislators.  The panel includes representatives from USTR as well as the Departments of Commerce, State, Justice, Treasury, Labor, Agriculture, and Homeland Security, the USPTO, Library of Congress, Customs & Border Protection, USAID, and the International Trade Commission. Click here for more.

Indian civil society and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health to rally against IP provisions in EU-India Free Trade Agreement

On March 2, the Asia Pacific Network of Positive People, the Indian Drug Users Network, the Delhi Network of Positive People, and the Cancer Patients AIDS Association will be joined by UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health Anand Grover in a rally against the intellectual property provisions in the EU-India FTA, which health advocates fear will interfere with the production, sale and export of generic medicines.  These include obligations to expand the scope of patentability, to provide a period of data exclusivity for the test data used to win approval of new drugs, and to work towards stronger IP enforcement rules.  Click here for more.

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  • Mike Palmedo

    Mike Palmedo is the admin for infojustice.org, and he manages interdisciplinary research on copyright exceptions at American University College of Law's Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property. He has Masters degrees Economics and in International Affairs, and is an economics PhD candidate.

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