The Role of Human Rights in Copyright Enforcement Online: Elaborating a Legal Framework for Website Blocking
[Christophe Geiger and Elena Izyumenko] Abstract: In recent years, intellectual property enforcement by ordering Internet access providers to block infringing websites has been rapidly evolving in Europe. Understandable from the perspective of rightholders searching for the most efficient ways to stop infringing activities, this increasing tendency to seek for website blocking raises several interrelated legal questions. Click here for more.
UK Bill Introduces 10 Year Prison Sentences for Online Pirates
[Ernesto] Last year the UK Government announced a plan to increase the maximum prison sentence for online copyright infringement to ten years. The current maximum of two years is not enough to deter infringers, lawmakers argued. The plan followed a recommendation put forward in a study commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) a few months earlier. This study concluded that criminal sanctions for online copyright infringement could be increased to bring them into line with related offenses, such as counterfeiting. Click here for more.
The Foxfire of Fair Use: The Google Books Litigation and the Future of Copyright Law
[Matthew Rimmer] This article considers the dynamic evolution of copyright exceptions and limitations in the United States in light of new technological developments. There has been significant legal debate in the courts and in the United States Congress in respect of the scope of the defence of fair use. The copyright litigation over Google Books has been a landmark development in the modern history of copyright law. The victory by Google Inc. over The Authors Guild in the decade long copyright dispute is an important milestone on copyright law. The ruling of Leval J emphasizes the defence of fair use in the United States plays a critical role in promoting transformative creativity, freedom of speech, and innovation. Click here for more.
New Zealand Government Notice: Consultation on Proposed Patent Term Extension Regulations
[New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment] On 11 July 2016, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment released a consultation document seeking feedback on proposed regulations to implement the patent term extension provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill. The Bill will, when it enters into force, amend the Patents Act 2013 to provide for patent term extensions for: Unreasonable delays in patent grant; and Unreasonable curtailment of the effective patent term as a result of the Medsafe approval process. Click here for more.
The Right to Think Is the Right to Quote – #Fixcopyright with Wide Quotations Exception!
[Anna Mazgal] The right to quote is a pivotal element of science, study, critique, and art. By evoking somebody else’s words and creations we are able to enter into an intellectual dialog that is a foundation of our culture. Quotations substantiate scientific discourse and discovery of new knowledge. They are used widely in memes that have become a signature feature of social media. Within the Best Case Scenarios for Copyright series, we present Finland as the best example for quotations. Below you can find the basic facts and for more evidence check the Best Case Scenario for Copyright – Quotations in Finland legal study. Click here for more.
The Medicines Patent Pool Signs New Round of Generic Manufacturing Licences for HIV and Hepatitis C Treatments
[MPP Press Release] The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced new generic manufacturing licences today for four antiretrovirals and hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral daclatasvir. The organisation signed licences with Aurobindo, Desano, Emcure, Hetero Labs, Laurus Labs, Lupin and new partner Zydus Cadila for a total of nine new sub-licensing agreements to produce generic versions of key World Health Organization-priority HIV and hepatitis C treatments. Click here for more.
