Global Congress on Intellectual Property in the Public Interest

On December 15-17, the Center for Technology and Society at Fundação Getulio Vargas will host the second Global Congress in Rio de Janiero. The theme for this year’s Congress will be “Setting the positive agenda in motion,” and will have a special focus on developments and opportunities in the so-called “BRICS” group of emerging economies.  To this end, the event will feature a number of keynote reflections and panels on progress toward and resistance to the positive agenda, structural changes in the field of public interest IP, and opportunities for progress in the coming year. For more, see www.global-congress.org

News from the Auckland Round of TPP Negotiations

  • Inside US Trade: “no outcome on intellectual property rights is expected at this round” (Story)
  • Inside US Trade:  New Zealand official tells IT industry rep it “would be willing to trade off defensive interests in the information technology and technology sector in exchange for favorable outcomes for the country’s agricultural exports, most notably dairy.” (Story)
  • Derechos Digitales: “to date there has been no substantial progress or agreement on contentious points of the chapter.”  (original: “que a la fecha no existen avances sustanciales o acuerdos sobre los puntos polémicos del capítulo (que a la fecha no existen avances sustanciales o acuerdos sobre los puntos polémicos del capítulo.) (Blog)
  • New Zealand Nurses Association: statement on IP and medicines (Statement)
  • American Medical Students Association letter on IP and medicines (Letter)
  • Civil Society statement on being locked out of the convention center(Statement)

Afro-IP: Nigeria to impose copyright levies on “everything under the sun”

[Post by Kingsley Egbuonu in Afro-IP] … Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN has granted the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) an approval to issue the Copyright (Levy of Materials) Order 2012…. The Order allows the NCC to impose a levy on products such as “Audio Cassettes, Mini Discs, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, SD Memory Cards, Video Cassettes, USB Flash drives, I-Pods and Photocopying Paper. Others are equipment and devices like Photocopying Machines, MP3 Players, Digital Juke box, Mobile Phones, CD recorders, DVD Recorders, Blu Ray Recorders, Computer External Hard Drives, Analogue Audio Recorders, Analogue Video Recorders, Personal Computers, Printing Plates, Printers/Printing Machines, Radio/TV Sets enabling recording, Camcorders and Decoders/Signal Receivers.” … The collected sums would be paid into a special fund to be created by the Commission and the beneficiaries would be approved collective management organisations (CMOs) and other agencies involved in the scheme. It is further noted that the Commission would retain 20% for anti-piracy initiatives and another 10% to promote creativity.  Click here for more.

EC to Consider Reforms to Copyright in the Digital Environment

[Mike Palmedo] Today the European Commission held a debate on copyright in the digital economy, and it agreed to move forward with a two tiered work plan to address the issues over the next year and a half.  It will hold a formal stakeholder dialogue beginning early next year, and by the middle of 2014 it could table proposed reforms. An EC press release further says that topics to be addressed include “agreeing appropriate levels of harmonisation, limitations and exceptions to copyright in the digital age,” as well as  “how to improve the legitimacy of enforcement in the context of wider copyright reform.” Click here for more.

Pocket Guide to Create Commons Colombia

[CC-Colombia] Creative Commons Colombia, with the support of the Karisma Foundation and design work by Miguel Tejada, has published La Guía de bolsillo Creative Commons Colombia – a Pocket Guide Creative Commons Colombia. It contains general information on Creative Commons licenses, and an illustrated guide to help creators choose licenses.  Click here to download.

Op-ed on IP Provisions in the Thai-EU Trade Agreement

[Paul Cawthorne, MSF] Thailand’s recent position on the Thailand-European Union free trade negotiations is very worrying. It seems the Thai government is no longer willing to stand firm against accepting any and all Trips-plus provisions … In its rush to gain access to the European market for chicken and seafood, the Thai government has underestimated the massive impact on public health that such a weak negotiating position will bring. Click here for the full op-ed.

Panelists at Cato Institute Discuss Copyright Excesses from a Libertarian Point of View

[Mike Palmedo] Last week the Cato Institute held an event about Copyright Unbalanced: From Incentives to Excess, a new book edited by Jerry Brito from George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.  The event was a panel discussion with Brito, Tom Bell from Chapman University School of Law, and Mitch Glazier from the RIAA.  Brito offered a libertarian critique of the current copyright system (including Ayn Rand and Frederick von Hayek references), and Bell offered suggestions for a radical reform of the system.  Glazier was critical of their presentations, but did offer some ideas of where they might agree on the need for reform. Click here for more.