Statement on Copyright Exceptions and Limitations for Education to the 32nd WIPO SCCR
[Sean Flynn] … Although I teach in a Northern school in Washington, D.C., I also spent some time teaching in a major university in South Africa where the context of access to educational materials is very different. When I taught an advanced constitutional class there of 70 students, only about five or six of the students could purchase the learning materials, the textbooks we were using for that class. The rest of them after each day would huddle in the library and attempt to share and read the copies that were on reserve in that space. And that’s the reality around much of the world – text books are priced similarly in poor countries and rich countries, but because of the disparities in income, students in poor countries cannot afford their learning texts. Click here for more.
See also: Daniel Seng. Draft Study on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Educational Activities. Link.
The USTR Special 301 Report 2016 – Africa in Review
[Caroline Ncube] Afro-IP regularly reports on how Africa fares in the Special 301 Report issued annually by the USTR. The 2016 Report was released at the end of April 2016. The generation of the report through a unilateral US process and its goal have been protested by several countries… Two African states are listed in the priority watch list (Algeria) and the watch list (Egypt) and several others are mentioned in the 2016 report as summarized, in alphabetical order, below. Click here for more.
Special Report 301: Una Presión Arbitraria, Unilateral e Interesada
[J. Carlos Lara & Pablo Viollier] Una vez más, el Representante del Comercio de los Estados Unidos emitió el informe anual sobre propiedad intelectual en el mundo. Una vez más, varios países latinoamericanos aparecen listados por proteger insuficientemente tales derechos, y sujetos a la presión por cuidar intereses de industrias extranjeras. ¿Seguiremos viendo a nuestros países bajo un cuestionamiento arbitrario e interesado? Click here for more.
After Initially Rejecting Patent, Indian Patent Office Grants Gilead Sciences Patent on Base Compound of Sofosbuvir Hepatitis C Drug
[Médecins Sans Frontières] Gilead Sciences has been seeking patents in India for the hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir. The patent applications have been challenged by groups of people living with hepatitis C and HIV through ‘pre-grant oppositions.’ The patent just granted by India’s patent office was initially rejected in January 2015, just before President Obama’s visit to India, which was seen as vexing the US. Gilead appealed the rejection and the patent has now been granted. Click here for more.
Dakar Declaration on Open Access
[Electronic Information for Libraries] Delegates to the Fourth Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) Conference on Electronic Publishing have adopted a ‘Dakar Declaration on Open Access Publishing in Africa and the Global South’. … The declaration recommends that: Publicly funded research in Africa and the Global South should be made freely available to the public through the World Wide Web; Multi-stakeholder mechanisms for collaboration and cooperation should be established to amplify and increase the voice and influence of research from Africa and the Global South; Institutions and governments in Africa and the Global South should urgently develop open access policies and initiatives to promote scholarship as well as acknowledge production and dissemination; Institutions and governments in Africa and the Global South should provide the enabling environment, infrastructure and capacity building required to support open access. Click here for more.
2015 Chinese Entertainment Law Year Review: Is it Converging with the U.S. Practice?
[Seagull Haiyan Song] Abstract: The year of 2015 was a successful year for Chinese film industry. It was also a monumental year for the development of Chinese entertainment law. During the past year, we witnessed a substantial increase of cases before the Chinese courts that are of interest to the entertainment industry, including the substantial similarity test in copyright infringement analysis, protection of movie titles and story characters through trademark and anti-unfair competition law, protection of private rights to privacy and reputation, and the treatment of freedom of speech and the public’s right to information. Click here for more.
India Releases New Intellectual Property Policy; Reactions Building
[William New] The Indian government [has] released its long-awaited new intellectual property policy, and preliminary reactions appear to be that it caters to international pressures while attempting to provide a national focus. A more careful reading with reactions will follow. The 28-page National Intellectual Property Policy of India is available here. The official press release is here. The new policy was released by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India (DIPP), of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry: “An all-encompassing IPR Policy will promote a holistic and conducive ecosystem to catalyse the full potential of intellectual property for India’s economic growth and socio-cultural development, while protecting public interest,” the policy states. “The rationale for the National IPR Policy lies in the need to create awareness about the importance of IPRs as a marketable financial asset and economic tool.” Click here for more on ip-watch.org.
