White House refuses FOIA request for documents on country positions on transparency of ACTA negotiations
On June 2, 2010, KEI submitted a FOIA request to the White House Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The request covered:
Author: James Love
KEI Statement on WIPO decision to hold June 2013 diplomatic conference for treaty on copyright exceptions for disabilities
Geneva, Tuesday, 18 December.2012
At the end of the two day WIPO Extraordinary General Assembly, Member States today agreed “to negotiate and adopt a treaty on limitations and exceptions for visually impaired persons/persons with print disabilities.”
WBU, WIPO issue press releases on WIPO decision to hold diplomatic conference for WIPO treaty for blind people
Here is a link to the WIPO press release: WIPO Advances Toward Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Persons with Print Disabilities, Morocco Offers to Host Diplomatic Conference Geneva, December 18, 2012,PR/2012/727
Here is the WBU press release:
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WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU) press release 18 December 2012
Press Release – WIPO Negotiations Treaty for Blind people
WIPO member states call for treaty for blind people to be finished in 2013
Draft WIPO EGA decision, around 430pm
USA statement at WIPO Extraordinary General Assembly, wants later “final review” of negotiating text, treaty status uncertain
Right before noon at the December 17, 2012 Extraordinary General Assembly, the US read the statement below. Here are a couple of quick comments.
1. The US Statement supports a diplomatic conference, but aligns itself with the EU, calling for a later “final review” of “many outstanding issues,” so only a tentative decision would be made now, and if the EU or USA is not satisfied with concessions from developing countries, they want to be able to revoke the approval for the meeting.
Google’s Chrome OS
Yesterday I received a Samsung laptop computer running Google’s Chrome OS. This is the new $249 Chromebook with an SSD drive, 2 gigs of RAM, an 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 pixels screen, and the 1.7 GHz Exynos 5200 processor. The laptop weights 2.4 pounds and has a nice usable keyboard and a well implemented trackpad. There is also the option of a model with 2 years of 3G (limited) data from Verizon, for just $329. Continue Reading
KEI statement on the J&J darunavir announcement
In a press release, Johnson and Johnson “announced their intention not to enforce the patents they own and control on the antiretroviral (ARV) drug darunavir provided the darunavir product is medically acceptable and is used only in resource-limited settings,” which J&J defines as the 48 UN defined Least Developed Countries plus any other country in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the KEI statement on the J&J darunavir announcement.
WHO negotiators propose putting off R&D treaty discussions until 2016
Around 2 am the open ended consultations on the CEWG recommendations finished their work on a report and proposed resolution, which is attached below. [See also interviews during the negotiations here: http://www.youtube.com/user/KEIWashDC/videos.]
David Kappos’ war on poor people, and his indifference to broader public interest reforms
Apparently David Kappos will be leaving the USPTO sometime early next year. Today there is much commentary from patent community giving him high marks, and I’m willing to believe there are high marks to give. But he also had some big shortcomings. Here are a few:
SCCR 25 final conclusions
Just before 8 p.m. on Friday evening, the 25th session of the WIPO’s main committee for copyright policy, the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), completed its work and adjourned. Continue Reading