Wyden has proposed two amendments relating to intellectual property and trade policy to the Jumpstarting Our Business Sector Act (JOBS Act). The first is a reaction to the Obama Administration’s assertion that it can bind the United States to ACTA…
Billboard Magazine has an excellent story about Eme Navarro, a musician who has asked his fans to upload illegal copies of his new song, “Nobody’s Death.” He then complains to the government under its newly enacted Sinde Law. Billboard calls…
By Brett Danaher, Michael D. Smith, Rahul Telang The HADOPI legislation is a significant and controversial measure with passionate supporters and passionate detractors. As co-authors of a study analyzing the impact of the HADOPI law on music sales, we have…
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the sponsors of the Research Works Act – Reps. Issa and Maloney – have pledged not to move the legislation forward. The Research Works Act would have prevented government agencies that disburse grants…
On February 28, the Indian Supreme Court had been scheduled to hear arguments in Novartis’ challenge to the patentability criteria of the Indian Patents Act. On the 27th, PharmaBiz.com reported that the hearing may be delayed until some time in…
While the Ministry of Culture’s much-talked about, controversial copyright reform bill has yet to reach the Brazilian National Congress, a deputy from the Partido dos Trabalhadores, Nazareno Fonteles, has jumped the gun with his own take on the subject. Bill…
The Spanish Supreme Court has agreed to review the Sinde Law, which the Association of Web Users has challenged as unconstitutional. The Sinde Law creates a government commission to review allegations of copyright infringement, which can order internet service providers…
Paramount’s Vice President for Worldwide Content Protection & Outreach has sent letters to university professors regarding the SOPA/PIPA backlash, asking if the company can give presentations and hold the discussions at their schools. Says the letter: “our goal would be…
The European Union signed the Anticounterfeiting Trade Agreement on January 26, but the treaty will require ratification from the EU Parliament before it enters into force, and ratification is not guaranteed. Parliament will debate ratification in June. The EU Rapportuer…
Much has been made in recent days about announced amendments to SOPA in response to the effective advocacy efforts of technology and internet companies over the winter holiday period. A review of recent press and advocacy announcements sheds a little…
I have previously shared the American Assembly’s survey on copyright infringement and enforcement, but since it is relevant to the SOPA/PIPA debate, I would like to point to some of its findings once more. While much has been written about…
Opposition is growing to the recently-introduced Research Works Act, recently introduced by Reps. Issa and Maloney, which would prevent federal agencies from requiring that peer-reviewed literature funded by their grants be made freely available online. The American Library Association released…