New Chilean Law Would Make it Harder for Authors to Freely Share Audiovisual Works
[Timothy Vollmer] In May we learned that Chile’s Chamber of Deputies approved an amendment to a bill that would create a new, unwaivable right of remuneration for authors of audiovisual works. The law would apply to all audiovisual works, even those published under open licenses. This would mean that audio and video creators are supposed to be compensated even if they do not wish to receive royalties. Creative Commons and CC Chile are concerned that the bill could create unnecessary complexity for authors who want to share their works under CC licenses. Click here for more.
European Council Approves First-Ever Analysis Of Drug Prices With Look At IP Rights
[William New] The 28 European Union governments today were expected to give final approval to a first-ever plan to analyse medicines competition in Europe, with reference to drug prices, generics and biosimilars, and intellectual property rights. The final version was watered after what sources said was heavy industry lobbying, compared to a leaked version published in Intellectual Property Watch two weeks ago, but still retains some strong provisions regarding pricing and competition. Click here for more.
EU, #fixcopyright and Adopt the Parody Exception Across Europe
[Anna Mazgal] The parody exception cultivates the French tradition of satire. When the goal is to make people laugh, anybody can freely create a distinctively different mockery of a protected work. This encourages creativity and freedom of expression. Within the Best Case Scenarios for Copyright series, we present France as the best example for parody. Below you can find the basic facts and for more evidence check the Best Case Scenario for Copyright – Parody in France legal study. Click here for more.
¿Cuál es el rol del sector privado sobre la libertad de expresión en internet?
[J. Carlos Lara] … ¿Hasta qué punto deben las empresas de tecnología hacerse responsables por proteger y promover los derechos humanos? ¿Hasta qué punto pueden resistir la cooperación con Estados que violan derechos humanos de sus ciudadanos? ¿Qué rol cabe a los Estados y a la sociedad civil? El informe intenta entregar pautas en tal sentido, en referencia a estos distintos actores: ISP, compañías de hardware y software, registros de nombres de dominio, motores de búsqueda, plataformas, servicios de alojamiento, data brokers y sitios de comercio electrónico. El trabajo se basa en consultas y análisis, y también en la observación de la evidencia. Click here for more.
The Economics of Book Digitization and the Google Books Litigation
[Hannibal Travis] Abstract: This piece explores the digitization and uploading to the Internet of full-text books, book previews in the form of chapters or snippets, and databases that index the contents of book collections. Along the way, it will describe the economics of copyright, the “digital dilemma,” and controversies surrounding fair use arguments in the digital environment. It illustrates the deadweight losses from restricting digital libraries, book previews, copyright litigation settlements, and dual-use technologies that enable infringement but also fair use. By taking into account the lack of evidence that some forms of copying inflict serious harm, the emerging law of digitization and search engines for books would return contemporary copyright doctrine to a time when it only prohibits acts more likely to result in economic harm, such as competitive piracy. Click here for more.
E-Commerce Returns to WTO TRIPS Council Agenda
[International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development] The WTO’s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council discussed the topic of e-commerce last week for the first time since 2003, sources said, during a 7-8 June meeting in Geneva. Other topics on the meeting’s agenda included sustainable resources and low emission technology strategies, and the perennial issues of non-violation complaints and the relationship between the TRIPS agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In addition, the EU presented its new Trade Mark Directive and Trade Mark Regulation, which raised concerns with some members over possible restrictions on the transport of generic medicines through the 28-nation bloc’s borders. Click here for the full story on ictsd.org.
