Advocating for a world where intellectual
property law serves the public interest.

President Ramaphosa: Please Sign Copyright Bill

[Electronic Information for Libraries] In a letter to Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, EIFL urged the President to sign into law the long-awaited Copyright Amendment Bill without delay. The Bill, amending the 1978 Copyright Act, was approved by the legislature in March 2019 and awaits the Presidential assent. The Bill introduces new exceptions for libraries, education

Australia’s Stop Online Piracy Act: Copyright Law, Site-Blocking, and Search Filters in an Age of Internet Censorship

Australia’s Stop Online Piracy Act: Copyright Law, Site-Blocking, and Search Filters in an Age of Internet Censorship The Canberra Law Review (2019) Matthew Rimmer, Queensland University of Technology Abstract Relying upon the work of Cory Doctorow, this paper argues that Australia’s copyright regime for site-blocking and search-filtering poses a threat to consumer rights, competition policy, and […]

Five Reasons the U.S. Should Not Review Its Dealings With South Africa

[Sean Flynn and Jonathan Band] On November 13, 2019, BusinessTech published an article listing the International Intellectual Property Alliance’s five primary concerns with the Copyright Amendment Bill awaiting President Ramaphosa’s signature. These concerns have led the U.S. Trade Representative to review the eligibility of South Africa for trade preferences. An examination of these five concerns reveals that they have no

Access to Knowledge? WIPO Not Ready to Decide

[Electronic Information for Libraries] ...During the SCCR/39 session, and at the International Conference, three core issues emerged from the discussions: 1) there was clear recognition that L&Es are intrinsic to a balanced copyright system; 2) there was wide acknowledgement that copyright laws in many countries are falling behind in the digital age, and 3) there was emerging consensus on the

The Biosimilar Action Plan: An Effective Mechanism for Balancing Biologic Innovation and Competition in the United States?

[Simone A. Rose and Tracea Rice] Abstract: The strain between balancing pharmaceutical innovation and competition in the United States (U.S.) is centered around the need to ensure that the U.S. continues to encourage medical innovation while simultaneously providing patients with access to affordable and innovative drug treatments. This tension exists whether the drugs at issue are chemically-synthesized or complex large

Safeguarding User Freedoms in Implementing Article 17 of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive

[Sign on document circulated by IViR, University of Amsterdam] On 17 May 2019 the new Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market was officially published (DSM Directive). Article 17 (ex-Article 13) is one of its most controversial provisions. Article 17(10) tasks the Commission with organising stakeholder dialogues to ensure uniform application of the obligation