9 Sep, 2008: Access to Knowledge Conference Begins Addressing New Challenges with New Ideas (IP-Watch)
A key conference on access to knowledge opened Monday, with veterans of the A2K movement mixed with many new faces and all participants hoping to find new ideas over the next few days, as they seek to clarify the best paths forward. “The great insight of this movement,” said Yale Law School Information Society Project Director Jack Balkin during ...

14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Agenda committee deliberations on norm-setting, open source and creative commons (KEI)
"The WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) had rich discussions on Thursday afternoon (July 10, 2008) on norm-setting, open source and creative commons as they related to recommendations 22 and 23 of the Development Agenda. Recommendation 22 states: WIPO’s norm-setting activities should be supportive of the development goals agreed within the UN system, including those contained ...

14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Enriched by In-Depth Discussion of Public Domain (KEI)
"With respect to the public domain, Richard Owens (WIPO Secretariat) noted that there is a fundamental question of definition that frames the policy debate on this issue. The classical definition of the public domain (in the copyright context) is “what is not protected by copyright, i.e. rights that have expired, works that have not been deemed worthy of protection, and ...

12 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Committee Ends First Year On Mostly Agreeable Note (IP-Watch)
"While the 7 to 11 July meeting of the Committee on Development and IP (CDIP) did not make any profound changes in the operations of WIPO yet, discussions revealed some of the areas where change may be coming. And while there were moments of tension, the overall spirit of the meeting appeared more agreeable than meetings of the past years. ...

10 Jul, 2008: The fight Against Counterfeiting and Piracy in the Bilateral Trade Agreements of the EU (EU Parliament Briefing Paper)
By Duncan Matthews (Queens Mary University of London)

9 Jul, 2008: EFF Statement at WIPO Development Agenda Meeting in Geneva
"We support the call for WIPO to initiate discussions on how to facilitate access to knowledge and technology for developing countries and LDCs to foster creativity and innovation, and to facilitate IP-related aspects of ICT for growth and economic, social and cultural development. It is essential that national and international copyright and patent laws provide an environment that is ...

9 Jul, 2008: G8 Declaration on the World Economy
Read Text of GB Declaration on a World Economy and G8's Pledge to Increase Intellectual Property Rights and International Enforcement and to Deputize Customs Agents to Search and Seize Laptops, iPods, and PDA's of Unsuspected Citizens in Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)

8 Jul, 2008: Development Agenda discussions focus on costing of consultants and Business Analysts (KEI)
The second session of the the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) is meeting this week in Geneva (July 7-11, 2008). The first meeting of this development committee (March 2008) examined Cluster A (Technical Assistance and Capacity Building) of the 45 approved Development Agenda recommendations. ...

7 Jul, 2008: Intellectual Property Regime Stifles Science and Innovation, Nobel Laureates Say (IP-Watch)
The basic framework of the intellectual property (IP) regime aims to “close down access to knowledge” rather than allowing its dissemination, Professor Joseph Stiglitz said at a 5 July lecture on “Who Owns Science?” Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, and Professor John Sulston, a 2002 Nobel Laureate in Physiology/Medicine, launched Manchester University’s new Institute for Science, Ethics and ...

30 Jun, 2008: [no title]
The issue of IPRs in technical standards is increasingly seen to be contentious since they at times lead to anticompetitive situations affecting markets and international trade. While standards are adopted internationally and nationally by different standard setting organisations, they are implemented cross border. This has provoked a great deal of serious thought and syllogism over anticompetitive effects created due to ...

16 Jun, 2008: Civil Society & Organized Labour Seoul Declaration (OECD Ministerial in Korea)
Framework for the Future of the Internet Economy. Freedom of Expression. Protection of Privacy and Transparency. Consumer Protection. Promotion of Access to Knowledge. Internet Governance. Promotion of Open Standards. Balanced Intellectual Property Policies. Internet Governance. ...

28 May, 2008: ‘Fair use’ stipulation planned for intellectual property in Japan (asahi.com)
"The government will ease its stringent restrictions on using copyrighted works, a development that will affect activities ranging from posting personal pictures on websites to developing Internet search engines, sources said. The Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, led by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, has decided to make a Japanese version of a U.S. copyright law stipulation that allows for the ...

13 May, 2008: Statement at IGF Open Consultation of IGF Dynamic Coalition for Access to Knowledge and Free Expression (A2K@IGF)
"IPR protection has always been given to creators and inventors in exchange for some benefit to the public. These are usually included in IP law as exceptions and limitations that can provide a benefit to the public. For example, when copyright owners permit the copying of their materials for private and educational use, they contribute to the general ...

13 May, 2008: A2K@IGF Statement at IGF Open Consultation (Audio)
Statement at the IGF Open Consultation from the IGF Dynamic Coalition for Access to Knowledge and Free Expression (A2K@IGF) (Audio file - .mp3)

30 Apr, 2008: “The Problem with the Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty (and What To Do About It)” by Aaron Shaw (KEI Studies)
In mid-February 2008, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a request for public comments on the proposed “Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement” (ACTA). However, with the exception of a handful of press releases, information about the proposal itself remains scarce. Mainstream media outlets have printed USTR officials' talking points about the importance of winning “the fight against fakes,” ...