Digital Rights + Internet Governance + Innovation Policy

Mandate of Advisory Group of Internet Governance Forum Extended

The mandate of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum has been extended. The Special Adviser for Internet Governance to the Secretary-General, Nitin Desai, has been asked to continue as the Chairman of the Advisory Group, which will meet again on 13 to 15 May in Geneva before handing over to a renewed group to prepare the next Internet Governance Forum meeting in Hyderabad, India, on 3 to 6 December. The Advisory Group will renew up to one third of its members within each stakeholder group. ...

Draft Program Outline for the Third Meeting of the IGF in Hyderabad in Dec. 2008

Draft Program Outline for the Third Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Hyderabad, 3-6 December 2008 Introduction This paper aims to provide an input into the open round of consultations on 13 May 2008 to discuss programme and agenda for the third meeting of the IGF in Hyderabad. It gives a first draft programme [...]

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 ACTA’s negotiation process are Canada, Australia, Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. Noticeably absent from ACTA’s negotiations are leaders from developing countries who hold national policy priorities that differ from the international intellectual property industry....

Public-Interest Principles for the Networked Communications Environment

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....

8-10 Sept. 2008: Yale’s A2K-3 Conference in Geneva (3rd Access to Knowledge Conference)

The Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School will host the third Access to Knowledge Conference (A2K3) September 8-10, 2008, in Geneva, Switzerland. It will be held at the Geneva International Conference Centre and will bring together hundreds of decision-makers and experts on global knowledge to discuss the urgent need for policy reforms.

Text Adopted by WIPO Copyright Committee on Exceptions and Limitations

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....

Statement of the IGF Dynamic Coalition on an Internet Bill of Rights at the IGF Consultations in Geneva

Our mission is as follows: Bring awareness and promote fundamental human and civil rights and liberties on the internet; Identify ways in which these rights and liberties can be translated on the Internet, and evaluate the applicability of existing legislation; Promote the addressing of issues of human and civil rights in policy-making proposals by all stakeholders; Promote the specification of how the existing rights can be applied and what they practically imply in the context of new ICT technologies; Identify ways in which new rights and principles deriving from the innovations caused by the Internet can be defined, agreed and promoted when necessary; Seek to identify measures for the protection and enforcement of these rights; Seek to engage the various stakeholders within the Coalition's mission and express the Coalition's interest to work with them....

Class Action Lawsuit Against Network Solutions & ICANN for “Front-Running” of Domains and Defrauding Consumers

Network Solutions has forced millions of people to buy Internet domain names from them instead of cheaper competitors through a scheme that's netted the firm millions of dollars, a federal class action lawsuit filed today by Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP states. ICANN, whose policies facilitate the scheme, is also named in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Each time someone asks Network Solutions about a domain name, the firm creates a monopoly for itself, forcing consumers to pay the price they demand," said Brian Kabateck, lead counsel in the class action and Kabateck Brown Kellner's Managing Partner. Whenever someone searches for the availability of a domain name through Network Solutions' website, the company immediately registers the name for itself, preventing other companies from selling it and forcing consumers to pay Network Solutions' expensive fees. If a consumer were to go to another, cheaper site to register the name, they would find the name is "unavailable." Consumers are never informed that inquiring as to a name's availability through Network Solutions results in the company holding a monopoly on selling that name. This allows Network Solutions to continue charging substantially higher prices for domain name registration. Network Solutions charged $34.99 to register the name sought by this suit's lead plaintiff. A competitor would have charged $9.99. Network Solutions' scheme is made possible by ICANN. ICANN allows companies that sell domain names to avoid paying registration fees for names cancelled within five days. Thus, Network Solutions can defraud customers at no cost to itself....

Background Information on the WIPO Development Agenda

Background Information on the WIPO Development Agenda Development Agenda in 2004   Led by Brazil and Argentina (and the Group of Friends of Development), developing nations issued a strong call for reform at the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) and adopted a “Development Agenda” in an effort to replace WIPO’s mission of automatically increasing intellectual [...]

Domain Names are Bigger than Trademarks: ICANN’s New Consumer Protection Role

The terminology “confusingly similar” lends itself to the expansion of trademark rights to domain names by commercial uses and governments to the disadvantage of non-commercial users. ICANN should refrain from taking on consumer protection type roles (such as preventing “confusion” in people) and only regulate issues related to the technical coordination of the Domain Name System.

Signup for the Latest News



Copyright 2022 IP Justice | All Rights Reserved

Go to Top