Article 1.2 in the proposed ACTA agreement states: “Each Party shall be free to determine the appropriate method of implementing the provisions of this Agreement within its own legal system and practice.” At recent meetings in Washington the US Trade…
Author: david
ECJ outlaws private copying levy
OUT-LAW News, 21/10/2010 Private copying levies on blank CDs, MP3 players and other digital media are allowed under EU copyright law but only when charged on goods sold to individuals and not those sold to companies, the European Court of…
Cross-party coalition asks EU to support Treaty for Visually Impaired
Ask your MEP to support this letter by sending him/her an e-mail: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public/geoSearch.do;jsessionid=E8EEC82C040E87908363A0978FAC43EB.node2?language=en LETTER IN SUPPORT OF A TREATY FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND PRINT DISABLED PEOPLE Many millions of EU citizens, such as blind or dyslexic people, have a disability…
European Governments unilaterally slash cost of medicines
Public health systems in Europe can no longer pay their pharmaceutical bills and have started to do something about it What began in Spain and Greece as a response to budget deficits has now become a general trend. Now national…
Second-hand clothes for legislation laundering
European Commission admits use of second-hand impact study for ACTA legislation laundering It seems that the “copy and paste” and “one-stop laundry” habits are hard to kick. Under pressure from a European Parliament resolution and a written declaration which both…
Put your patents where your mouths are
TACD HAILS THE FIRST DRUG LICENSE GIVEN TO UNITAID: NOW BIG PHARMA AND BIG GOVERNMENT MUST PUT THEIR PATENTS WHERE THEIR MOUTHS ARE The TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), that represents 20 million consumers from 18 countries, salutes the practical beginning…
“I just called to say I want to read”
Running away from Stevie Wonder in Geneva Stevie Wonder spoke and sang before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assembly this week in Geneva in favour of ending the “book famine” for the visually impaired. He passionately challenged the…
The EU voluntary “alternative” for visually impaired and print disabled
You can never judge a book by its cover, especially if it’s a very thin one with a very thick cover with the title: “Have no fear, your local publisher is here”. After months of complex negotiations facilitated by the…
MICROSOFT coopera con la represión de ecologistas en Rusia
LA PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL AL SERVICIO DE LA CONTAMINACIÓN Y CONTRA LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS Ahora resulta que mediante la “policía del copyright” y con la ayuda de Microsoft se puede perseguir a los ecologistas. Utilizando la excusa de los derechos de…
ECONOMIC CRISIS AND ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES
ECONOMIC CRISIS AND ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES: AWARDING PRIZES FOR DRUG INNOVATION AS A WAY OF ENDING WASTEFUL MONOPOLIES THAT PREVENT AFFORDABLE MEDICINES “The current system is incredibly wasteful and constantly gamed by Big Pharma. The prize fund approach would…