20 Dec, 2008: No ACTA Deal Yet As EU Parliament Seeks Narrower Scope, More Transparency (IP-Watch)
"As negotiations on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) continued in Paris this week with again no public details the European Parliament Thursday sent a strong signal by requesting transparency in the negotiations. Parliament meeting in Strasbourg on 18 December passed a resolution on the impact of counterfeiting in international trade “calls on the [European] Commission and the member ...

3 Nov, 2008: European NGO FFII Opposes Stealth Legislation, Demands ACTA Documents Be Made Public
The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) has requested 12 secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) documents from the EU Council. Behind closed doors, the EU, US, Japan and other countries are negotiating ACTA. The negotiating parties plan on making the ACTA text public only after the parties have agreed to it. Based on leaked information, the FFII is ...

2 Nov, 2008: EU NGO (FFII) Analysis of Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty (ACTA)
Behind closed doors the EU, US, Japan and other countries negotiate an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). A leaked discussion paper mentions types of provisions that could be included. According to the European Commission's website, a "path breaking" agreement is foreseen. For this reason the Commission likes to work outside the normal formal structures. Indeed, the leaked document contains unprecedented measures. ...

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: 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)

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,” ...

25 Mar, 2008: IP Justice White Paper on the Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
In 2007 a select handful of the wealthiest countries began a treaty-making process to create a new global standard for intellectual property rights enforcement, the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). ACTA is spearheaded by the United States, the European Commission, Japan, and Switzerland -- those countries with the largest intellectual property industries. Other countries invited to participate in ...

13 Mar, 2008: Sign the Petition to EU Parliament to Use Open Standards and Promote Interoperability
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 ...

26 Feb, 2008: Lobby groups oppose plans for EU copyright extension
The European Commission currently has proposals on the table to extend performers' copyright terms. Described by Professor Martin Kretschmer as the "Beatles Extension Act", the proposed measure would extend copyright from 50 to 95 years after recording. A vast number of classical tracks are at stake; the copyright on recordings from the fifties and early sixties is nearing its expiration ...

23 Feb, 2008: UK Gowers Review on Intellectual Property (Dec. 2006 Final Report)
"The principle recommendations of the Review are aimed at: 1. tackling IP crime and ensuring that rights are well enforced; 2. reducing the costs and complexity of the system; and 3. reforming copyright law to allow individuals and institutions to use content in ways consistent with the digital age. The IP framework must create incentives for innovation, without unduly ...

10 Feb, 2008: 25-27 Feb. 2008 Conference on Standards and the Future of the Internet in Geneva
OpenForum Europe are pleased to invite you to a conference on: "Standards and the Future of the Internet - the role of open standards, standards development and standards organisations for innovation and healthy marketplaces" 25-27 February at the International Conference Centre, Geneva In a keynote session on 26 February, OFE Chief Executive, Graham Taylor, will moderate a panel of highly distinguished speakers: ...

10 Dec, 2007: Broadcast Treaty: Council of Europe Picks Up Where WIPO Left Off (IP-Watch)
The Council of Europe is deliberating on whether to negotiate a convention to protect broadcasters’ signals against piracy and thereby take up the issue from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) where negotiations on a proposed broadcasting treaty came to a standstill earlier this year. The Council’s decision to proceed depends on approval by its Committee of Ministers. The ...

1 Dec, 2007: EU Acceptance Of TRIPS Health Amendment Adds 28 Members (IP-Watch)
The European Union has taken steps to ratify a 2005 decision by the World Trade Organization designed to ensure that intellectual property does not limit access to medicines in developing countries. Peter Mandelson, the EU’s trade commissioner, announced on 30 November that the Union has formally told the WTO that it accepts a protocol amending the Agreement on Trade-Related ...

29 Nov, 2007: UN Committee Questions CAFTA’s IP Provisions On Human Rights Grounds (IP-Watch)
"The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in a recent meeting echoed concerns raised by Costa Rican opponents of the Central American free trade agreement with the United States, particularly with regards to intellectual property rights. Costa Rican President Oscar Arias signed the Central American-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) on 21 November after ...

21 Nov, 2007: S. Korea Urged to Increase IPR in EU Trade Talks (IP-Watch)
South Korea has been urged to strengthen its intellectual property rules in order to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union. Talks are underway between the EU and the Seoul government aimed at achieving a far-reaching liberalisation of commerce between the two sides. In a report approved on 20 November by the European Parliament’s international trade ...