November 15, 2017. . Copyright: WIPO. Photo: Emmanuel Berrod. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License. After discussing the Broadcasters, cablecasters and webcasters treaty also called by some the “youtube” Treaty, the Committtee moved on… Continue Reading
On Friday, 6 October 2017, Knowledge Ecology International delivered the following statement at the 2nd session of the Marrakesh Treaty Assembly in Geneva.
Statement of Knowledge Ecology International – Marrakesh Treaty Assembly
Agenda item 27 – Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (MVT)
6 October 2017
Thank you Chair,
KEI Recommendations on the work of the SCCR on a treaty for broadcasting organizations
Prepared for WIPO General Assembly
October 4, 2017
KEI recommends taking the broadcasting treaty off the agenda of the SCCR, until (1) the proponents of the treaty can explain what they expect the treaty will do, in practical terms, (2) how the treaty will impact copyright owners and persons who want access to information distributed by broadcasters, and (3) if there is a realistic expectation of agreement on the substance of the treaty.
This was delivered the afternoon on October 3, 2017.
Opening statement of Knowledge Ecology International – WIPO General Assembly 2017
Thank you, Mr. Vice President.
KEI notes the controversies around the world regarding the costs and benefits of intellectual property policies, including in particular extended terms of copyright protection in some countries, access to copyrighted works out of commerce and in teaching and research, and the role of patents in both promoting and discouraging innovation, and creating barriers to access medicine.
These are the notes I used when providing the KEI comments at the July 25, 2017 civil society stakeholder forum at the 19th round of the RCEP negotiation.
My name is James Love. I work for Knowledge Ecology International, an NGO that focuses on the social aspects to the production, management and control of knowledge goods. I am also a member of the board of directors of the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment.
The IP Chapter is complex, and in the time allocated, I will discuss five issues.
The latest version of the USTR NAFTA renegotiation hearings schedule is out. USTR has a page for the NAFTA hearings, here, which now has the a link to the witness schedule.
There are 26 panels of witnesses over 2.5 days. Doing the math, each witness seems to have less than 10 minutes, including questions from the panel.
On 31 May 2017, the delegations of Brazil, China, Fiji, India, and South Africa tabled a paper to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) TRIPS Council entitled “Intellectual Property and the Public Interest.” In their communication (IP/C/W/630), the proponents called for a series of discussions at the WTO TRIPS Council on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest. Brazil, China, Fiji, India, and South Africa proposed compulsory licensing as the first theme of IP and the Public Interest discussions at the TRIPS Council meeting in June 2017.
Lexmark: The Supreme Court’s patent exhaustion case and parallel trade in drugs
KEI Briefing Note 2017:2. James Love. Revised 31 May 2017.
May 4, 2017 SCCR 34 Discussion on Limitations and Exceptions for people with other disabilities
If the final text of the Marrakesh Treaty had included Article 15(b) of the 1st version of the treaty negotiating text (SCCR/18/5) that would have clearly covered “other disabilities”, we would not have had the morning discussion.
Here is what had been drafted with the approval of an inclusive group of disabilities experts:
ARTICLE 15. DISABILITIES COVERED(a) For the purposes of this Treaty, a ‘visually impaired’ person is:
a person who is blind; or
Continue ReadingSCCR 34 Chair’s proposal regarding the committee’s work on L&E and member states comments
SCCR 34 May 3. Chair’s proposal regarding the committee’s work on L&E and member states comments
In brief:
- The Chair supports an update of the Crews Study
- The Chair proposes a seminar or conference with multidisciplinary approach to L&Es in the digital environment (instead of separated “silos” such as are now L&Es for Libraries and Education