Intellectual Property

IP Justice is an international civil liberties organization promoting balanced intellectual property laws in a digital world.

Total news: 265
Last news: March 18, 2008 20:52:40

Why is Free Expression Important in an Information Society? The UK-based "Freedom of Expression Project" posted "Public Interest Principles for the Networked Communications Environment". The draft document provides useful analysis on the importance of freedom of expression, open standards, interoperability, respect for privacy, and balanced copyright law as key policy goals for a healthy and robust information society. The project aims to complete an agreed set of principles by December 2008.... -�[Read�more]

WIPO Copyright Committee: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back� Broadcast Treaty Chair Remains, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright Considered (15 March 2008) �The WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR) met from 10-12 March 2008 in Geneva to debate the future work program for the committee after the Member States of the WIPO General Assembly told the committee last Fall [...] -�[Read�more]

This year, the 18th annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference will focus on what constitutes technology policy. CFP: Technology Policy 08 is an opportunity to help shape public debate on those issues being made into laws and regulations and those technological infrastructures being developed. The direction of our technology policy impacts the choices we make about our national defense, our civil liberties during wartime, the future of American education, our national healthcare systems, and many other realms of policy discussed more prominently on the election trail. Policies ranging from data mining and wiretapping, to file-sharing and open access, and e-voting to electronic medical records will be addressed by expert panels of technologists, policymakers, business leaders, and advocates.... -�[Read�more]

If you are a European citizen, sign the petition to "Open Parliament" and encourage the use of open standards and interoperable systems in the European ICT sector. The Open Parliament Petition states that citizens should not have to use the software of a single company in order to communicate with their elected officials or participate in the legislate process. All companies should be given the chance to compete freely for contacts to supply ICT services to the European Parliament. Read and sign the full-petition here.... -�[Read�more]

Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay presented a proposal which elaborated further the proposal by the delegation of Chile (SCCR/13/5). Many of the delegations who took the floor supported the proposal, in whole or in part. Other delegations expressed support or opposition to specific elements of document SCCR/13/5, which are reflected in their interventions in the report of the meeting.... -�[Read�more]

Sign the Petition. A new bill (S. 2661) is currently before the US Congress that would once again expand trademark rights to domain names and threaten free expression on the Internet. The bill, introduced by US Senator Snowe (R-Maine), also contains a privacy-invasive provision over the revelation of "whois" data (ICANNs online database about website owners). The Snowe bill pretends to be an "anti-phishing" bill, but is really a trademark bill in disguise. -�[Read�more]

"The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Wednesday concluded work until next November in a way similar to recent years, with the same chair, European dominance, no agreement, and division over a proposed treaty on broadcasters’ rights. But it also contained the elevation of a proposal to improve exceptions and limitations to copyright, and a proposal for four new agenda items: resale royalties, collective management, orphan works, and applicable law. “Exceptions and limitations is here to stay,” a supporting government official said afterward..... -�[Read�more]

"An interesting story broke recently in the NY Times about a Spanish travel company that had its domain names taken away by the US Government for selling Europeans vacations to Cuba. Even though the companys business was not targeted at the US and was lawful in its national jurisdiction, the companys websites were put on a domain name blacklist maintained by the US Treasury Department. According to the NY Times, US Treasury officials contacted the Spanish companys domain name registrar, which is based in the US, and ordered that the websites be disabled, since it was "a generator of resources that the Cuban regime uses to oppress its people." Unfortunately this case is another example of the US Government using the Internets Domain Name System to censor freedom of expression, violate due process, and interfere with the sovereign rights of other nations. The US Government has a history of leveraging its position as the legal jurisdiction in which ICANN, most of the worlds registrars, and the registry that manages .com resides in order to impose its own national policy agendas on the entire world...." -�[Read�more]

The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Monday began a new era in the wake of a failed decade of negotiations for a broadcasters’ rights treaty. But it will tackle its new agenda including limitations and exceptions to copyright with the same chairman who guided the broadcasting talks with fervour. Finland’s Jukka Liedes was re-elected chairman of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) Monday after closed-door debate that lasted most of the first day. It was unclear how a deal was reached on returning Liedes to the chair he has held for about a decade, but sources said there were no other candidates formally put forth. The SCCR is meeting from 10-12 March.... -�[Read�more]

"Several nations have joined Chile in presenting a new proposal for work on limitations and exceptions to this week’s meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee. The work would include establishing an international agreement on the issue. But the United States told the plenary on Tuesday that it is “not ready” for norm-setting activities on exceptions and limitations and needs to see “evidence-based” analysis to show the need for more work on this area, according to sources.... -�[Read�more]

”Representatives from the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative gathered with government officials in New York yesterday to discuss strategies for ending the international trade in fake goods. The meeting was attended by CEO’s of companies such as Microsoft, General Electric and Pfizer, as well as the executive director of INTA, Alan Drewsen, the deputy secretary-general of WIPO, Michael Keplinger, and the secretary-general of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Michael Danet. US Trade Representative Susan Schwab also took part”... -�[Read�more]

A group of developing countries submitted a proposal for a work program for WIPOs Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights (SCCR) on 10 March 2008. The new proposal from Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay, calls for work on three areas: identification from members’ national IP systems of models and practices on exceptions and limitations; analysis of exceptions and limitations needed to promote and disseminate creation and innovation; and establishment of an agreement on exceptions and limitations for the public interest, as a minimum in all national legislatio -�[Read�more]

A formal complaint has been lodged with the European Parliament over how its information technology systems rely almost exclusively on software manufactured by Microsoft. Advocates of open standard software, which is developed on a not-for-profit basis, allege that the Seattle-based giant enjoys an effective monopoly or ‘lock-in’ within the European Union institutions. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and EU officials are unable to read attachments sent with emails if these are in an open document format that is incompatible with Microsoft’s Windows, the operating system found in most of the world’s personal computers. Three organisations have jointly filed a complaint, claiming that the current situation limits the possibilities that EU citizens have to communicate with their elected representatives.... -�[Read�more]

The Council of Europe needs something useful to do. Although the inter-governmental organization of European states frequently makes beautiful statements about the importance of freedom of expression and other human rights, unfortunately, the actions of the CoE too frequently take another direction: censorship... -�[Read�more]

Trent Reznor has rocked the music world once again. The long-time front man for Nine-Inch-Nails is convinced the current music business infrastructure is broken since it requires artists to rely on labels. Reznor is looking for a new model. Last year NIN broke free from its major label and decided to go independent, look to its fans for support, and experiment with new business models made possible by the Internet. So far, I’d say its working for Reznor and NIN. Within 24 hours of releasing the band’s latest album online with a variety of payment options, including free, it sold more than 2,500 of the $300 Limited Edition Ultra-Deluxe Package, earning the ARTISTS $750,000 on the album’s first day available, from that option alone. ... -�[Read�more]