OTTAWA: It was being reported among various observers of NAFTA over the weekend that the talks in the IP chapter are progressing toward Copyright. The US appears poised to table the first set of its demands for that portion of…
[Originally published in South Africa’s Business Day, Link] Over the past two weeks, I have been participating in a series of events and workshops explaining copyright “fair use” rights to South African stakeholders and officials. This week, Parliament has been…
World Intellectual Property Organization 34th Meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights May 5, 2017 Chair: I would like to support that aspect of the GRUAC proposal that focuses on the role of limitations and exceptions in…
World Intellectual Property Organization 34th Meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights May 3, 2017 Chair: You and I are from countries that have educational exceptions that are open to the use of any work, for any…
There is increasing attention in international trade and copyright forums to the question of how international law should protect and promote copyright user rights. I presented the following options at this year’s Creative Commons Global Summit as examples of provisions…
Originally posted Nov 29, updated Dec 5, 2016 A Copyright Amendment Bill will be tabled in Parliament by the South African government proposing to reform the current system of copyright law in the country to include a “fair use” clause…
Senior copyright industry experts described the Trans Pacific Partnership and other recent free trade agreements as likely setting a “high water mark” for intellectual property commitments in trade agreements. The statements came as part of a symposium last week on…
Reports from the WTO Public Forum held last week highlights a notable shift in the World Trade Organization toward an E-Commerce Agenda. The issue appears likely to be addressed substantively in the 2017 Ministerial Conference. Through then, the organization is likely…
This reply comment responds to key questions that we were asked of us and others at the Special 301 hearing. Flexible Exceptions Work in Developing Countries I was asked in the hearing to comment on the proposition that flexible exceptions…
Joint Submission by Sean Flynn, Cynthia Ho, David Levine, Gabriel Levitt, Heesob Nam, Alina Ng, and Andrew Rens This statement calls on the High-Level Panel to promote policy coherence in the international intellectual property, human rights and global health system…
Joint Special 301 Comment by Professors Michael Birnhack, Peter Jaszi, David Levine, Srividhya Ragavan, and Lea Shaver; and civil society organizations Public Knowledge and the Karisma Foundation. The first part of this submission calls on USTR to adopt two interpretive…
Flynn, S. (2015). Copyright legal and practical reform for the South African film industry. The African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC), 16, 38-47. Abstract: Copyright’s interest in promoting creative production is often described as requiring a “balance” between exclusion…