Friday, November 23, 2012

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Data protection in a cloud computing environment


Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Commission's Communication on "Unleashing the potential of Cloud Computing in Europe", here.

Report: FTC Likely To Abandon “Vertical Search” Antitrust Claims Against Google

Searchengineland.com, here

ECN Model Leniency Programme: 2012 revision

In Final Stretch Of Drafting Of WIPO Treaty For The Blind, Tensions High

Ip-watch.org, here. November 21 version of WIPO treaty for the blind negotiating text from keionline.org, here.

EPO: Inventors' handbook

Epo.org, here

Ireland: General PSI License

Psi.gov.ie, here

Monday, November 19, 2012

Canada Set to Endorse the Concept of a WIPO Treaty for the Blind

Excesscopyright.blogspot.ca, here

EU at SCCR/25 on VIP Issues

"Mr. Chairman, the EU and its Member States are now also in
the position to negotiate the conclusion of an instrument
including a binding treaty," here

Sunday, November 18, 2012

That Was Fast: Hollywood Already Browbeat The Republicans Into Retracting Report On Copyright Reform

TechDirt.com, here.
"Three Myths about Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix it" here (keionline.org).

Friday, November 16, 2012

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Regolamento "Rating di legalità"

AGCM, qui

Transparency in EU Retail Energy Markets


Working Group Report prepared for the 5th Citizens' Energy Forum, here.

Kansas : une bibliothèque en colère contre la politique de prêt d'ebooks

Actualitte.com, here

Android Rises to 90% of Smartphone Market in China

Techinasia.com, here

Privacy considerations of online behavioural tracking

Enisa.europa.eu, here

Bundesgerichtshof zur Haftung von Eltern für illegales Filesharing ihrer minderjährigen Kinder

Juris.bundesgerichtshof.de, hier

Weakening the OA policy in the EU

P. Suber, here

Japanese Antitrust and Compliance: The Fair Trade Commission, no longer a toothless tiger?

Cliffordchance.com, here

La presse suisse rejoint le front de la Lex Google

Numerama.com, ici

Price Comparisons on the Internet

Danish Competition and Consumer Authority, here

Entrepreneurship and Innovation: When IP Does Not Seem to Matter

Ipfinance.blogspot.com, here

Quels remèdes pour les abus de position dominante ?

P. Bougette, F. Marty, ici

On German ancillary copyright for media publishers

Ences.eu, Press Release, here

La CNC sanciona por primera vez a una persona física por infringir normas de defensa de la competencia

Diariojuridico.com, aquì.

Does Oracle/UsedSoft ruling breach WIPO Copyright Treaty?

The1709blog.blogspot.com, here

Implementing Antitrust's Welfare Goals

H. Hovenkamp, here

New briefs complicate Supreme Court pay-for-delay conundrum

Newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com, here

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Competition, Standards, and Patents

P. Hellstrom, T. Kramler, here

Monday, November 12, 2012

Google's Appeal Brief in Google Books Case

Here

The Regulatory Turn in IP

M. Lemley, here

Four More Years: What Obama’s Reelection Means for United States Antitrust Policies

Competitionpolicyinternational.com, here

L'exploitation numérique des livres indisponibles du XXe siècle - Point d'étape

Syndicat national de l'édition, Présentation ici

Bibliothèques, musées : exemples de bonnes pratiques en matière de diffusion du domaine public

Scinfolex.wordpress.com, ici

Der Wandel des deutschen Buchmarktes in Zeiten von Digitalisierung und Mobilisierung. Eine institutionenökonomische Analyse

S. Putzig, Abstract zur Dissertation, hier (pdf File). 

Warum „Do not Track” den Datenschutz nicht retten wird

Telemedicus.info, hier

Der Streit mit Apple schwemmt Millionen in die SBB-Kasse

Tagesanzeiger.ch, hier

The Role of the Efficiency Claims In Antitrust Proceedings

OECD, Background Note by the Secretariat (Fiorenzo Bovenzi and Anna Pisarkiewicz), here

Leniency for Subsequent Applicants

OECD, Issues paper by the Secretariat, here

Limitations and constraints to International Co-operation

OECD, Issues Paper by the Secretariat (A. Capobianco), here

Digitally binding


J. Poort,  I. Akker, N. van Eijk, B.van der Sloot, P. Rutten, here in English and here in Dutch.

Multi-Stakeholder Discussions à la Internet Governance Forum For WIPO?

Ip-watch.org, here.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Randy Picker Examines Market Power and Advertising During AEI’s Discussion of Google and Antitrust

Techpolicy.com, here

Exclusionary Vertical Restraints and Antitrust: Experimental Law and Economics Contributions

C. Landeo, here

Random House and Penguin merge to take on Amazon, Apple

Reuters.com, here

Leistungsschutzrecht als Taschenspielertrick

Politik.eco.de, hier

§ 52a UrhG wird wohl verlängert, aber vermutlich nicht entfristet

Iuwis.de, hier

Privacy Takes Center Stage in Uruguay

EFF.org, here

US-Supreme Court: Richtungsweisende Entscheidung zum Secondhand-Handel erwartet

Urheberrecht.org, hier

Buyer Power and Suppliers' Incentives to Innovate

C. Koehler, C. Rammer, here.

Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley Oral Arguments

Transcript here. Audio file here

NYC regulators propose rules for taxi apps

Theverge.com, here

Zur Reform des europäischen Datenschutzrechts

S. Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, here

Substitutes & football: a primer in market definition

R. Trindade, R. Smith, here

Lex Google : Hollande préfère un petit accord entre amis...

Numerama.com, here

The Annual Privacy Forum 1st edition

Privacyforum.eu, Presentations here

Would "Privacy in the Age of Augmented Reality" work?

A. Acquisti, Presentation here

Good Things Come in Threes? DOJ, FTC and EC Officials Wax Eloquent About FRAND

Patentlyo.com, here

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Unitary Patent Package: Twelve Reasons for Concern

Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law, here

Friday, October 19, 2012

EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on the Proposed Data Protection Regulation

Here

Off-Topic: European Council on EU's Nobel Prize for Peace


"The European Council is grateful that the European Union was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. The Prize is an honour for all European citizens and for all EU Member States and institutions. The Nobel Committee rightly reminds how "the Union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in
Europe". At a time of uncertainty, this tribute to past achievements is a strong appeal to safeguard and strengthen Europe for the next generation. Aware that advancing this community of peaceful interests requires constant care and an unwavering will, the members of the European Council regard it as their personal responsibility  to ensure Europe remains a continent of progress and prosperity", here.

Proyecto de Ley de creación de la Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Congreso.es, aquì

Private Recoveries in International Cartel Cases Worldwide: What do the Data Show?

J. Connor, here

Unfair methods of competition under FTC § 5: Beyond the Sherman Act and an ex post model of enforcement

R. Peritz, here

Google News faces mass newspaper boycott in Brazil

PaidContent.org, here

Beyond the integration of Markets: The citizen at the heart of EU law

J. Almunia, here

Poland and Hungary Adapted PSI Directive Transpositions (Infringement procedures closed)

Epsiplatform.eu, here

Google se paie la presse

Owni.fr, ici.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Fostering Internet Competition

Brookings Institution's event (Oct. 10, 2012), podcast here, uncorrected transcript here (Spencer Weber Waller starting at 10:22, again at 22:45, 33:00, 37:03, Q&A at 43:00, mentioning waves - ;-) - of creative destruction at 51:50;  see his recent paper on Facebook and antitrust here).

E-Books in France: Shunned or Just Getting Started?

Publishingperspectives.com, here

Apple reportedly reduces Samsung's role in A6 chip production, decreases dependency on its biggest rival

Theverge.com, here

Licensing music works and transaction costs in Europe

KEA, here

Network Neutrality and Privacy According to Art. 8 ECHR

B.-J. Koops, J. Sluijs, here

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Copyright, Interfaces, and a Possible Atlantic Divide

S. Vezzoso (this blog's author), here.
Abstract: "Recent copyright cases on both sides of the Atlantic focused on important interoperability issues. While the decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union in SAS Institute, Inc. v. World Programming Ltd. assessed data formats under the EU Software Directive, the ruling by the Northern District of California Court in Oracle America, Inc. v. Google Inc. dealt with application programming interfaces. The European decision is rightly celebrated as a further important step in the promotion of interoperability in the EU. This article argues that, despite appreciable signs of convergence across the Atlantic, the assessment of application programming interfaces under EU law could still turn out to be quite different, and arguably much less pro-interoperability, than under U.S. law."

HathiTrust: A Landmark Copyright Ruling

Publishersweekly.com, here

Friday, October 05, 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

HUNTING THE WILD GEESE: COMPETITION ANALYSIS IN A WORLD OF “FREE”

F. Polverino, here

Re-use of Public Procurement Data

Epsiplatform.eu, here.

Maßnahmen zur Steigerung des Wettbewerbs auf den Kraftstoffmärkten in Deutschland


J. Haucap, R. Dewenter, U. Heimeshoff, here.

Europe's Cloud Computing Strategy Calls for More Standardization

M.cio.com, here

MySQL: A Business Parable

- Open Source, the IP always owned
- LAMP web stack, MySQL a de-facto standard (FB, Google, Twitter, Yahoo)
- dual licensing (consulting and support, T-shirts sale: uninteresting to VC)
- VC, looking for an "exit"
- Sun and then Oracle acquisitions
- Oracle "not a charity"
From the Open Forum Europe 2012 Conference, here

MEDIDAS EN MATERIA DE INFRAESTRUCTURAS Y SERVICIOS FERROVIARIOS.

CNC, aquí.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Monday, September 17, 2012

Aliyun App Store Confirmed To Be Distributing Pirated Android Apps, Many From Another Pirate Site

Androidpolice.com, here

Update on Trademark-Related Aspects of the Expansion of the Domain Name System

WIPO, Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications, here

Recommandations pour l'ouverture des données et contenus culturels

GROUPE DE TRAVAIL OPEN GLAM, ici

Information Meeting on the Role and Responsibility of Internet Intermediaries in the Field of Trademarks

WIPO, September 17, 2012, Program here, Live Broadcast - floor - here (English here). What I will be following in particular: Sessions 2 and 3: The Use of Trademarks on the Internet:  Problems and Solutions.

Digital Content Contracts for Consumers


N. Helberger & M. Loos & L. Guibault & C. Mak & L. Pessers, here.

German court may defer to EU regulator on Samsung-Apple lawsuits over FRAND patents

Fosspatents.com, here

German Rail: What's the Point of Open Data?

Epsiplatform.eu, here

Competitive Harm from MFNs: Economic Theories

J. Baker, Presentation here

DOJ/FTC Ask if MFns Are Anti-Competitive, and get an earful

Skadden.com, here

The German Proposal on a New Leistungsschutzrecht – Endangering Press Diversity and the Digital Economy

Computer & Communications Industry Association, here

Google and Personal Data Protection

B. Van der Sloot, F. Zuiderveen Borgesius, here

Monday, September 03, 2012

Saturday, September 01, 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Apple-Samsung Amended Jury Verdict

US District Court, Northern District of California, Case No.: 11-CV-01846-LHK, here

Friday, August 24, 2012

La Hadopi réfléchit à une "suite de la réponse graduée" sans amendes

Numerama.com, ici

WIPO: 2012 IP Facts and Figures: Computer Technologies' Patent Dominance

Here.
However, "most national  and regional IP office statistics refer to 2010".
At p.21: "(I)n 2010, computer technology (117,576) and electrical machinery (104,543) accounted for the largest numbers of applications, with a combined share of 15% of all published application" (emphasis mine).



Seoul court rules Samsung didn't violate Apple design

Reuters.com, here.

Travel Business: The ineluctable Middlemen

The Economist, here

Anti-competitive Agreements and Unilateral Conduct/Abuse of Dominance: Some Current Issues

R. Whish, Presentations here and here

The Interface Between Competition Law and Sectoral Regulation

N. Ee-Kia, Presentation here

Striking a balance between competition compliance and business costs – an Australian perspective

J. Walker, Presentation here

Fair use for Australia?

Barrysookman.com, here

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Internet a Decade Later

Infographic, here

Why are UK producers the superheroes of the global format trade?

Bbcworldwide.com, here

Ökonomen sollen ihre Geldgeber offenlegen - Die Volkswirte-Vereinigung beschließt einen Ethikkodex

Faz-community.faz.net, hier.

Lemley on what drives competition in the IT space

“Apple presented the intellectual property view of innovation — we created it, we own it, you can’t use it. Samsung presented the competition view of innovation — everyone should make great products and let consumers choose. IP law generally sides with Apple at this broad level, though there is a pretty good argument that it is competition, not monopoly, that drives great innovation in the IT space”, from Competing Views of Competition in Apple-Samsung Trial, Allthingsd.com, here.

For Non-Twitter Users: Video of the TPI Aspen Panel on Antitrust and Internet Competition

Here, panelists here.

Schritt nach vorne für die offene Verwaltung in Deutschland?

Ifross.org, hier

The Supreme Court of Canada Speaks: How To Assess Fair Dealing for Education

M. Geist, here

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

So Close, Yet So Far Apart: The EU and U.S. Visions of a New Privacy Framework

C. Wolf, W. Maxwell, here

Embracing Magic

K. Walker, here. #TPIAspen

Quotation from  Magical Patent Policy: "one third of all patent lawsuits now involve software
patents, way out of whack to the relative size of the industry. Software and Internet patents are litigated
eight times more often than other patents. Troll lawsuits cost productive U.S. companies $29 billion in
direct payouts last year, $80 billion a year when you take all costs into account, and more than $500
billion in the years since the Federal Circuit first authorized software patents. Worst of all, wasteful
patent litigation is costing customers real money and real choices in the devices they love.
This happens because software patents too often allow ownership of broad, sometimes trivial ideas. It
should not be this way. It is the execution as much as the idea that often matters in the
marketplace. Facebook wasn’t the first social network -- but it thrived because it executed well. Google
wasn’t first in search, but the way we executed has made our results better."

Quotation from Magical Competition Policy: "we should pay close attention to switching costs and lock-in. Since everyone is competing against
everyone else, consumers, advertisers, and publishers typically have lots of options. But those options
are less useful if walled gardens or proprietary formats make it difficult for users to switch. That’s why
Google created our Data Liberation Front, letting users easily export their data. The inability to move
your data -- like contacts, emails, and web history -- from one service to another can sometimes make
switching more difficult in ways that are bad for consumers and bad for competition."

Panel - Internet Competition: Implications for Antitrust

ASPEN 2012 AGENDA, Technology Policy Institute 

August 21, 2012
Susan Athey, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Harvard University and Visiting Researcher, Microsoft Research New England
Tim Bresnahan, Landau Professor in Technology and the Economy, Stanford University
Carlos Kirjner, Vice President and Senior Analyst, Internet, Alliance Bernstein
William Kovacic, Global Competition Professor of Law and Policy; Professor of Law; Director, Competition Law Center, George Washington University
Edith Ramirez, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Hal Varian, Chief Economist, Google
Thomas Lenard, President and Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Institute (moderator)
Full Agenda here.

  , Video here.


- EU setting standards for competition policy globally 
- Platform competition and multihoming
- Complements/substitutes
- counterfactuals and harm to competition by innovation
- leadership in the vertical stack
- lesson from MS: from complement to possible substitute
- dangerous competition threats ex-post and ex-ante (Google/Netscape)
- counterfactual analysis when high quality products are given away for free (multi-sided markets)
- screen control and design
- fines' irrelevance
- changing nature of switching costs  (e.g. privacy issues suddenly relevant to Internet users and Google users in particular)
- the importance of behavioural economics in order to understand consumers' actions