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

Senators Baucus and Hatch Introduce Trade Promotion Authority Legislation

Senators Baucus and Hatch (the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Finance Committee) have introduced Trade Promotion Authority legislation, formally titled the Bipartisan Congressonal Trade Priorities Act of 2014. The legislation grants the executive branch the authority to negotiate trade agreements that can be voted up or down – but not amended – […]

Viewing Pirated Streams is Not Illegal, German Government Says

[Andy, Torrent Freak, Link (CC-BY-NC)] The controversial RedTube case in Germany has provoked an interesting response from the Ministry of Justice. Although it says the question will ultimately be answered by the European Court, the Ministry says that it believes the mere viewing of copyright infringing streams is not illegal under current law. Author REPOST

Copyright and Access to Culture in the Digital Environment

[Cross posted from LAC Digital Rights, Link (CC-BY-SA)] The fifteenth century houses important both social and technological transformations, which mark the emergence of a new modern era, with remarkable ruptures with the previous period. The creation of Universities and their independence towards Church, in the late Middle Ages, had already resulted on literacy increase and, […]

Why is Google Supporting Big Pharma?

Gabriel Levitt is the vice president of PharmacyChecker.com, which “collects, evaluates, and reports credentials, prices, and customer feedback regarding pharmacies that operate online and through mail-order and fax (generally referred to as ‘online pharmacies’).” Google’s founding and funding of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP)[1] should greatly concern consumers and health care providers, as […]

USTR Requests Comments for 2014 Special 301 Report, Announces Hearing in February

On January 2, the United States Trade Representative issued its Federal Register Notice for the Special 301 Review. It is seeking “written submissions from the public concerning foreign countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection.” […]

Infringement Risk in Copyright-Intensive Industries

Jonathan Band and Jonathan Gerafi Notwithstanding the challenges of quantifying the impact of copyright infringement on particular companies or industry sectors, there is a useful neutral source of qualitative information on the likely impact of infringement: the reports prepared by investment advisors concerning publicly traded companies. These equity research reports make investment recommendations (e.g., buy, […]