A free and open Internet is a prerequisite for innovation policy that promotes the positive health and growth of the Internet. Other innovation policy issues on which IP Justice engages include Permissionless Innovation, Open Technology Standards, Artificial Intelligence, Reverse Engineering, Software Patents, and Limitations on Liability of Internet Service Providers and Other Intermediaries including Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as well as contributory copyright infringement.
ACTA’s Misguided Effort to Increase Govt Spying and Ratchet-Up IPR Enforcement at Public Expense
IP Justice Comments to the U.S.T.R. on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). IP Justice firmly believes that ACTA’s costs to the public far outweigh any public benefit it might provide. The financial expense to tax-payers to fund ACTA would be enormous and steal scarce resources away from programs that deal with genuine public needs like providing education and eliminating hunger. ACTA would burden the judicial system and divert badly needed law enforcement and customs resources away from public security and towards private profit. Unfortunately the zeal to “beef-up†enforcement measures on which ACTA rides often leads to the violation of privacy rights, bypassing due process protections, and cutting-off the free flow of information. ACTA proposes to set new international norms to lock countries into pre-determined policy choices when flexibility is needed.
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.
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 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....
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....
WIPO Member States Request Agenda for Copyright Exceptions and Limitations
A group of developing countries submitted a proposal for a work program for WIPO's 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
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....
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 [...]
Comments to US Government on Review of Joint Project Agreement with ICANN by Robin Gross
"...In my view, given the international nature of the Internet, it is imperative that ICANN work toward moving away from oversight by a single nation and toward responding to the needs of the global Internet community. However, ICANN has yet to demonstrate that it has sufficiently evolved to the point that it should be left without any oversight and accountability, although it has made some progress in recent years. There remain significant problems with the existing structure and management of ICANN that must be resolved before ICANN can be left to itself to manage this crucial and shared public resource. In particular, “Internet users†(or the public-at-large) still remain outside of the ICANN decision-making process, such that the concerns of individuals, who have no “business†stake in ICANN policy are not adequately taken into account. ICANN continues to be dominated by large business interests and by specific commercial interests involved in providing Internet services...."
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: Vint Cerf (Google), Bob Sutor (IBM), HÃ¥kon Lie (Opera Software) and Andy Updegrove (GesmerUpdegrove)
IP Justice Report on 2007 Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
Links to Audio, Video, and Photos of IGF-Rio. Where 2007 IGF Excelled: High Quality of Independently Organized Workshops, World-Class Technical Capabilities, Offline Interactions & Networking Opportunities; But: Human Rights & Controversy Avoided, Glaring Lack of Gender Balance & Youth Voices, Last' Year's Speakers ...
Robin Gross’ Remarks at IGF 2007 on Internet Bill of Rights
Today I’d like to address a few issues that are specifically relevant to the positive development of the Internet and a healthy information society. 1. Freedom of Expression Rights. 2. Access to Knowledge Rights. 3. Communication Rights. 4. Privacy Rights and Data Protection. 5. Anonymity. 6. Excessive and unbalanced intellectual property rights. 7. Open Technical Standards. 8. Democratic Values. I cannot emphasize enough that the enforcement of our existing legal rights is the first and most important step we can take to ensure human rights are protected in an information society of the future.....
Digital Education Workshop at the 2007 IGF-Rio
13 Nov 2007 at IGF-Rio: "The Digital Education and Information Policy Initiative: Towards the Development of Effective Exceptions to and Limitations on Copyright in the Realm of Digital Education"
Explanation of NCUC’s Votes on WhoIs at LA ICANN Meeting – “Halloween Vote” on WhoIs
NCUC strongly supported Motion #3 because it provided a mechanism to spur uncompromising parties to the negotiating table on Whois in good faith. Without a mechanism to bring to the negotiating table parties who already have what they want, there is no incentive to voluntarily agree to any changes to the status quo with whois. NCUC continues to believe that “sun-setting†the non-consensus policy of Whois is the best course of action for the ICANN Board and the GNSO. There is no legitimate rationale for retaining policies that lack the broad support of the ICANN community, such as Whois. Whois never held a consensus position within the GNSO and it is a tragic mistake to continue with such a non-consensus policy, particularly when ICANN has been warned by national and regional data protection commissioners that Whois violates a number of national laws and international agreements. Reform of Whois is badly and immediately needed to protect the privacy rights of Internet users, bring ICANN into compliance with international law, and remove the legal risk on Registrars and Registries for violations of law imposed by ICANN contracts....
A2K@IGF Dynamic Coalition Session at IGF-Rio 2007
14 Nov. (16:30 - 18:00) - The public is welcome to attend the meeting of the Access to Knowledge and Freedom of Expression (A2K@IGF) Dynamic Coalition at the 2007 Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The A2K@IGF Dynamic Coalition session will include a series of presentations on the impact on access to knowledge and freedom of expression from unbalanced intellectual property rights in a digital environment.