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Een betere wereld door betere IE-rechten? De uitverkiezing van Ellen 't Hoen tot een van de vijftig meest invloedrijke mensen in de wereld van het IE-recht staat niet op zichzelf, maar is onderdeel van een groeiende beweging die het IE-recht wil gebruiken in de strijd tegen armoede en ongelijkheid. Vooralsnog wordt er veel over gepubliceerd en vergaderd, maar hopelijk  levert het ook echt wat op. Vandaag binnengekomen: "The African Proposal for the Establishment of a Development Agenda for the WIPO"

The imperatives for development have never been more crucial or urgent for Africa than they are at the dawn of the 21st century. The African Group recognizes that IP can and does play an important role in fostering creativity, innovation and economic growth in developing countries. IP is just one mechanism among many for bringing about development. It should be used to support and enhance the legitimate economic aspirations of all developing countries, especially in the development of their productive forces, comprising of both human and natural resources. IP should therefore, be complimentary and not detrimental to individual national efforts at development, by becoming a veritable tool for economic growth.

Towards this objective, the existing international IP architecture should be made more democratic and responsive to the needs and aspirations of developing and least developed countries, especially in matters that are vital to the needs and welfare of their citizenry. IPRs and their enforcement should also be compatible with international human rights norms and standards, especially in matters relating to the livelihood and future prospects of people of developing countries. Their right to qualitative life, access to vital requirements such as medicines, food, knowledge and prospects for their intellectual and cultural development, should neither be unduly compromised nor hampered by rigid and indiscriminate enforcement of IPRs. (Volledige tekst hier.)

Managing Intellectual Property's jaarlijkse lijst van de 50  'most influential people in IP'  telt dit jaar drie Nederlanders. Een uitreksel van hun prestaties:

Erik Nooteboom, Europese Commisie: "Without his hard work in the past year, it remains doubtful how smoothly the linkage between the EU's OHIM-administered Community trade mark system and the WIPO-administered international trade mark system, the Madrid Protocol, would have been put in place. The link was a historical step in the IP field, allowing trade mark owners around the world to extend their existing registration to all 25 EU countries and CTM holders to extend their registration to all Madrid member countries. Nooteboom is also behind the discussions to abolish national searches as well as proposals to reduce CTM registration and renewal fees.

In the coming year Nooteboom will play an important role in the Commission's plans to improve the EU patent system and restart the Community patent discussions, which stalled in May 2004 after member states failed to come to an agreement on the system's scope. Nooteboom has clearly expressed his frustration about this and as long as he is around, IP owners should not give up their hopes for an EU-wide patent system."

Wubbo de Boer, OHIM: "De Boer was reappointed for a second five-year term as President of OHIM last year. Since starting the job in 2001, he has overhauled the internal organization of the office, reduced processing delays and promoted electronic business in every aspect of the Office's work. He has also seen OHIM's workload increase with the accession of 10 new EU member states and the launch of the Community design.

With his scholarly lieutenant Alexander von Mühlendahl due to retire in October, de Boer is already gaining a higher profile. He is an increasingly familiar figure on the conference circuit where he is often outspoken in promoting reform and criticizing those who stand in its way."

Ellen 't Hoen, Artsen Zonder Grenzen: "We have only just scratched the surface," says Ellen 't Hoen of Médecins sans Frontières' international campaign to ensure that IP rights do not restrict the availability and affordability of drugs in developing countries. With the sixth WTO ministerial conference being held in Hong Kong at the end of the year, 't Hoen says MSF, along with international NGOs such as Oxfam and national health advocacy groups, want far more to be done to put the relationship between IP rights and health back at the top of the international agenda.

MSF's campaign will also focus on getting more research and development funding channelled into finding treatments for developing country diseases, by sustained lobbying at the WHO, the European Parliament and individual governments to try and change the way that governments think about the way health care research should be managed. "TRIPs showed that increasing IP protection does nothing for R&D for neglected diseases. We need a different approach. We want to see TRIPs minus and R&D plus." Finally, 't Hoen and her team will work with local health activist groups in countries negotiating free trade agreements, particularly with the US, to help them influence the debate on IP."

Overigens kent de lijst van MIP geen volgorde van belangrijkheid. De opsomming is willekeurig. Bekijk de hele lijst hier (alleen voor abonnees).

Mors nooit Ketchup op een IP/ICT partner. Lees hier meer.

Nog een Engelstalig bericht, maar het is vandaag niet anders: "The Internet Law Library features extensive summaries of over 340 court decisions shaping the law of the web; providing facts, analysis and pertinent quotes from cases of interest to those who do business on the Internet and in New Media. These court decisions address a broad array of topics, including copyright and trademark infringement, dilution and other intellectual property issues, jurisdiction, linking, framing, keying, meta tags, pop-up ads, consumer complaint or gripe sites, tax, clip-art, online defamation, domain name disputes, e-mail, privacy, subpoenas, MP3s, encryption, gambling, click-wrap agreements, shrink wrap licenses, and spam, among others." Klik hier.

Nieuw nummer van het Wipo Magazine, met een, natuurlijk zeer genuanceerde, terugblik op de Wereld IE Dag: "The response to World IP Day this year was the best yet, with events across the world celebrating the Think, Imagine, Create theme, aimed particularly at young people. This month’s issue picks up the theme with a round-up of World IP Day activities, a meeting with some young inventors from Iran, and the inspiring story of a young architect from Burkina Faso, whose creativity and vision has brought new hope a community in one of the world’s poorest countries." Lees meer.

Voor wat het waard is: de nieuwe Legal 500 is uit. IT, IP en Media op pagina 853 - 855. Alleen De Brauw staat overal op 1. Nauta zakt flink in IT en IP, 'technology boutique' Brinkhof komt met stip binnen in de top 3.  Klik hier voor alles.

Vandaag is het dan eindelijk zover: World Intellectual Property Day. Een ieder wordt verzocht inbreuken op intellectueel eigendom te melden, sommatiebrieven te versturen en (concept-)dagvaardingen op te stellen of anderszins activiteiten te ontplooien die passen binnen de sfeer van deze dag. Het vonnis in de Unilever-Albert Heijn zaak zou eigenlijk twee dagen eerder uitgesproken moeten worden. IEForum wenst iedereen een fijne dag!

Voor meer info over deze dag in het kader van THINK, IMAGINE, CREATE, zie hier.

The Telephone directory of OHIM staff has been published and new "Useful Numbers" are online.

Het afgelopen jaar zagen veel grote kantoren hun IE-specialisten vertrekken naar nichekantoren. De opkomst van de nichekantoren is natuurlijk al langer dan een jaar aan de gang, maar met name in de IE-praktijk leek deze in 2004 in een stroomversnelling te komen. Maar volgens de verliezende kantoren is het nu wel afgelopen. "Er zijn nu drie, vier nichekantoren in Intellectueel Eigendom", zegt een woordvoerster van NautaDutilh. "Ruimte voor meer is er niet".

Lees hier het hele artikel.