Thursday, October 31, 2013

Microsoft, Infineon suits to proceed in Canada, not ADM

Reuters.com, Here.

Le SPF Economie a pris acte du communiqué de la Sabam.

Economie.fgov.be, ici.

Access Copyright lawsuit against York is first test of fair-dealing guidelines

UniversityAffairs.ca, here.

Modernising (Irish) Copyright Katseries #2: linking & marshalling as exceptions

IPKat, here.

UK takes lead on ending company secrecy at Open Government Partnership Summit

Blog.okfn.org, here

How Spotify and its digital music rivals can win over artists: 'Just include us'

TheGuardian.com, here

Data Protection, Privacy and Security: Re-Establishing Trust Between Europe and the United States

J. Brill, here

Authors Guild v HathiTrust: Oral Argument on Appeal

K. Crews, here

The TTIP: Can it bring benefits to the people?

Beuc.org, here. 

OpenDataFrance: gather local open data initiatives towards mutualisation of resources and standardisation of datasets

Epsiplatform.eu, here

Modernising (Irish) Copyright Katseries #1: The Innovation Exception

IPKat, here.

EU-Kartellstreit: Verleger kritisieren Googles Zugeständnisse

Heise.de, hier

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Open data: Unlocking innovation and performance with liquid information

McKinsey Global Institute, here

Protecting Consumers and Competition in a New Era of Transatlantic Trade

E. Ramirez, here

Towards a more dynamic transatlantic area of growth and investment

V. Reding, here

Improving the Patent System to Promote American Innovation and Competitiveness

US Committee on the Judiciary, here

NTV/FS/Ostacoli all'accesso nel mercato dei servizi di trasporto ferroviario passeggeri ad alta velocità

Provv. A443 qui, Impegni presentati qui (v. Allegati).


Open Data Institute creates 13 'Nodes' around the world

Wired.co.uk, here. Trento (my University town) is one of the "Nodes".

The Value of Openness for a Sustainable Internet

Internetsociety.org, here

Data transparency effort – successful in U.K. – to be tested in U.S.

Knightfoundation.org here

Modernising Copyright

Irish Copyright Review Committee, here. A terrific reading, to be discussed with my "innovation management" students asap.

Copyright Review Committee comprised Dr Eoin O’Dell of Trinity College (Chair), Professor Steve Hedley of University College Cork and Ms Patricia McGovern of DFMG Solicitors.
Incipit "Copyright reform is in the air"

"In the same way as Molière's Monsieur Jourdain spoke prose without realising it, copyright vests even if the author does not realise it", p. 33.

For Major Publishers, Will Print No Longer Be the Norm?

Publishersweekly.com, here.

Web inventor's open data organisation announces new global network

TheGuardian.com, here

France: a digital file in iTunes is a phonogram

Kluwer Copyright Blog, here

Monday, October 28, 2013

The business model of patent assertion entities in IT: unilateral restraints of competition or business as usual?

P. Gagnon, here

Study on Patents and the Public Domain (II)

Expert Study (J. Conley, P. Bican, N. Wilkof), WIPO, here. Previous WIPO Secretariat's Study here

Un Guide du MOOC pour France Université Numérique

Blog.educpros.fr, ici

Individuazione di criticità concorrenziali nel settore degli appalti pubblici

Vademecum per le stazioni appaltanti, AGCM, qui.

The Meaning of ‘Relevant Customer Benefits’ in the Context of Health Care: Monitor’s Advice and the Competition Commission’s Response

M. Guy, here

Open Data Index

Open Knowledge Foundation, here

The Big Geek Theory

Inaglobal.fr, ici

EU to push ahead on data protection despite UK opposition

Euractiv.eu, here

Waste management services

Background Paper, OECD, here

Ex officio cartel investigations and the use of screens to detect cartels

Background Paper, OECD, here. Expert Paper by  R. Abrantes-Metz, here

The value of policy diversification in cartel detection and deterrence

W. Kovacic, here

Worldwide Competition Database

Competition Law Center, George Washington University Law School, here

L’exemplaire numérique sans support : le vieux continent à la pointe de l’évolution

Blog-dmi.com, ici

Friday, October 25, 2013

Amazon "de la patrie": i timori della Francia

IlSole24Ore, qui.

European authors and artists support EP report on home copying levies

Futureofcopyright.com, here. 

Bibliotheksverband fordert Gesetzesinitiative zur Gleichstellung von E-Books

Institut für Urheber- und Medienrecht, hìer.

Graffiti Artists Use Moral Rights to Prevent Building Demolition

IPKat.com, here

Monopolization in Developing Countries

A. Heimler, K. Mehta

Articulating a Modern Approach to FCC Competition Policy

R. Hundt, G. Rosston, here.

Report of the European Commission Public Consultation on Open Research Data

Disruption to connectivity and network security and privacy issues will accompany move towards IPv6 internet addresses, study says

Out-law.com, here

Resale Price Maintenance: A Big Issue For UK Luxury Brands

Covington & Burling, here

Angela Merkel empört, dass sie von USA behandelt wird, als wäre sie ein deutscher Bürger

Der Postillon, hier.

Apple, Microsoft And Free Software

Telecrunch.com, here

The CopyKat - copyright and the internet: are we Poles apart?

The1709blog.blogspot.com, here

The vexed issue of 'orphan' copyright works

Tmtblog.minterellison.com, here.

Innovating in the digital era: putting Europe back on track

J. Barroso, Presentation here

Open data guidebook

Final report of the EUROCITIES working group on open data, here

EU leaders agree to create a connected continent

N. Kroes, here.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

EFF Thanks Patent Trolls for Best Troll-Killing Bill Yet

Eff.org, here

Samsung’s European Proposal – Fair, Foul or Foolhardy?

Blog.patentology.com.au, here

How smartphone apps are reshaping the taxi market

The Economist, here

Reclaim Your Name: Privacy in the Age of Big Data

J. Brill, here

Apple Just Ended the Era of Paid Operating Systems

Wired.com, here

Still on Pinckney, the CJEU, offline distribution and Latin mottos

The IPKat, here

LIBE Committee vote backs new EU data protection rules

European Commission, Memo, here

The Real Privacy Problem

E. Morozov, here

Musikindustrie geht erfolgreich gegen »YouTubeMP3«-Converter vor

Urheberrecht.org, hier

Turning the Page on Business Formats for Digital Platforms: Does Apple's Agency Model Soften Competition?

Ø. Foros, H. Kind, G. Shaffer, here

Competition between universities probed by UK regulator

Out-law.com, here

Die Europäische Datenschutzreform muss zügig abgeschlossen werden

P. Schaar, hier

One in Six Active U.S. Patents Pertain to the Smartphone

Project-disco.org, here

Economic Aspects of Intellectual Property in Countries with Economies in Transition

WIPO, Department for Transition and Developed Countries, here.

Réponse à la consultation du Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication sur l’Open Data

Open Knowledge Foundation, here

Searching for Competition

Online.wsj.com, here

Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation: Unofficial Text published (single file)

Legalmemory.blogspot.com, here

Monopoly and Dominant Firms: Antitrust Economics and Policy Approaches

L. White, here

Librarians, Distributors Weigh in on Macmillan Ebook Lending | PubCrawl

Lj.libraryjournal.com, here

Google has nothing to fear from new EU data law

Reuters.com, here

Profiting from Free: The Scourge of Online Piracy and How Industry Can Help

A. Keen, sponsored by the Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace (ICOMP), here (pdf file).

DOJ and FTC release model confidentiality waiver for international civil matters

Nortonrosefulbright.com, here. 

Open access: six myths to put to rest

P. Suber, here

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Legal Status of Video Games: Comparative Analysis in National Approaches

WIPO Study, A. Ramos, L. Lopez, A. Rodriguez, T. Meng, and S. Abrams, here

The Economic Importance of Getting Data Protection Right: Protecting Privacy, Transmitting Data, Moving Commerce

U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here

Why privacy matters

A. Acquisti, Ted Talk (video), here

Competition among financial markets operators

J. Almunia, here

Harvard Business Review answers its critics

FT.com, here

Students 'worst' at e-book piracy, says data monitor

Bbc.co.uk, here

Une exception mash-up est bien à l’étude au CSPLA

PCImpact.com, ici

EU Commission consults on commitments offered by Samsung Electronics regarding use of standard essential patents

Press Release, here

Intellectual Property Rights do not equal Innovation and Creativity

Communia-association.org, here

Judge appoints monitor to keep an eye on Apple's e-books biz

CNet.com, here.

Why Pulling Music From Spotify Only Holds Back The Artist Doing The Pulling

TechDirt.com, here

Lob des Zwischenraums

Handelsblatt.com, here

Amazon buys e-learning company to boost Kindle business

Seattletimes.com, here

Supporting Copyright Reform

Creativecommons.org, here.

A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman

Bits.blogs.nytimes.com, here.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Patent Challenges for Standard-Setting in the Global Economy: Lessons from Information and Communication Technology

National Academy of Sciences, here (pdf file). 

Android: Building A Brand Around An Open Source Trade Mark

IPKat, here

To Infinity And Beyond: Business Model Adaptation In The Video Game Industry

Project-disco.org, here

Elektronische Marktplätze und die Vertikal - GVO

K. Ost, Präsentation, hier

Ökonomische Analyse von Plattformmärkten im  Zusammenspiel mit vertikalen Beschränkungen: insbesondere  Meistbegünstigungsklauseln

C. Wey, Präsentation hier

Plattformmärkte und vertikale Beschränkungen – insbesondere: Meistbegünstigungsklauseln

D. Zimmer, Präsentation hier

OFT launches market study into the supply of public sector ICT services

Press Release, here. See also Report on the findings of the call for information into the supply of ICT to the public sector, here 

UK CC finalises measures to open up audit market

Summary of the Final Report here

Do Recruiters "Like" It? Privacy and Online Social Network Profile in Hiring: A Randomized Experiment

M. Manant, S. Pajak, N. Soulié, here

Mississippi The Latest State To Claim Copyright Over Official Compilation Of Its Laws (Annotations)

TechDirt.com, here

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Amazon requires publishers to use Kindle DRM

BoingBoing.net, here

Brazil investigates Google over antitrust charges

Reuters.com, here

US Department Of Justice v. Apple Inc.

Lathrop & Gage LLP, here

Nespresso European Patent Revoked

TuftyTheCat.blogspot.com, here

Debating the “Where” of Online Jurisdiction

D. Holmes, here

The distinction between privacy and data protection in the jurisprudence of the CJEU and the ECtHR

J. Kokott, c. Sobotta, here

A very bad week for tobacco industry opposition to standard packaging

Tobaccounpacked.wordpress.com, here

Investigations into NPE Litigation involving Business Method Patents

Patentfreedom.com, here

The New Unified Patent System In Europe – Key Issues

Carpmaels & Ransford, here

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Procompetitive regulation of personal data protection in the EU

S. Vezzoso (this blog's author), Presentation here

15 Technologies that Content Industries Sued after Diamond Rio

Project-disco.org, here

General Court Confirms Commission’s Dawn-Raid Powers

Van Bael & Bellis, here

European Parliament says ‘No’ to plain packaging for tobacco products

The IPKat, here

Where can claimants sue for online copyright infringement?

TaylorWessing, here

California driving Internet privacy policy

Politico.com, here

Intellectual Ventures and its 80,000 Patents

Patentlyo.com, here

A Useful Reminder About Sham Litigation as Exclusionary Conduct

MyDistributionLaw.com, here

UK Competititon Commission paves way for new cement producer

CC, here

L'Open data, la ministre de la Santé n'en veut pas

LeMonde.fr, ici

Making available and communication to the public in the internet environment – focus on linking techniques on the Internet

ALAI, Report and Opinion, here

Monday, October 07, 2013

London’s Startups Show the Way in Remaking Finance

Businesstime.com, here

Is Twitter's 'tweet' trademark at risk?

Usatoday.com, here.

New York subpoenas Airbnb for data on all local hosts

TheVerge.com, here.

White House pursues online privacy bill amid NSA efforts

Politico.com, here

Google wants to patent splitting the restaurant bill

Cnet.com, here

A Need to Know Basis: The European Commission’s Approach to Sharing Information Concerning Article 101 TFEU Infringements

Steptoe.com, here

Competition Policy: Encouraging Thriving Markets for Development

M. Kitzmuller, M. Licetti, here

FRAND in China

D. Sokol, W. Zheng, here

La loi «anti-Amazon», une loi Maginot qui protège les commerçants, pas les lecteurs

Slate.fr, here

How Spotify Engineered the New Music Economy

Mashable.com, here

Chocolate giants battle over colour purple

Nzherald.co.nz, here

Harvard Business School Publishing crosses the ‘evil’ academic line

J. Gans, here.

Saturday, October 05, 2013

Erst jetzt erfahren...Mein TedTalk über UsedSoft in der FAZ

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 01.07.2013, Nr. 149, S. 22
Für ein Stück vom Software-Kuchen
Usedsoft AG kämpft immer noch gegen Widerstände
magr. FRANKFURT, 30. Juni. Vor zwei Monaten erfuhr der Gebrauchtsoftwarehändler Usedsoft einen Ritterschlag, wie ihn nur das Internet bietet. Im Rahmen der legendären amerikanischen Technikgesprächsreihe "Ted" stellte die italienische Juristin Simonetta Vezzoso die Geschichte von Usedsoft und dessen Gründer Peter Schneider vor - "einen meiner persönlichen Helden", wie Vezzoso bei der Veranstaltung Ende April im norditalienischen Trient sagte. Die Italienerin lehrt an der dortigen Universität Wettbewerbsrecht und präsentierte den Usedsoft-Gründer als einen David, der erfolgreich gegen die Goliaths der globalen Software-Branche gekämpft habe. Der Höhepunkt dieser Auseinandersetzungen liegt inzwischen ein Jahr zurück. Am 3. Juli vergangenen Jahres entschied der Europäische Gerichtshof in einem wegweisenden Verfahren zwischen dem Software-Hersteller Oracle und Schneiders Usedsoft, dass es grundsätzlich erlaubt sei, mit gebrauchter Software zu handeln - und zwar unabhängig davon, ob diese Software auf einem Datenträger, etwa einer CD, gespeichert ist, oder sie der Erstkäufer über das Internet auf seinem Rechner installiert hat. In beiden Fällen erschöpfe sich das sogenannte Verbreitungsrecht des Software-Herstellers - und das macht Computerprogramme eben handelbar. Für Peter Schneider ist dieser Handel ein Jahr nach dem Urteil nach eigenen Angaben wieder ein einträgliches Geschäft. Wie viel er genau damit verdient, nicht mehr verwendete Lizenzen für Office-Pakete oder Betriebssysteme des Software-Hauses Microsoft von Unternehmen aufzukaufen und an andere weiterzuverkaufen, behält Schneider lieber für sich. "Seit Juli vergangenen Jahres hat sich unser Umsatz mehr als verdoppelt, und wir erwirtschaften solide Gewinne", sagt Schneider nur. Auch die Zahl der Käufer wachse wieder. "Vor dem Urteil haben wir drei neue Kunden in der Woche gewonnen, seitdem sind es drei am Tag. Und inzwischen sind wir nahe dran, in Europa 5000 Kunden zu haben." Es kehre Normalität in den Markt ein, "mit Betonung auf einkehren", wie Schneider es ausdrückt. "Wenn der Markt zehn Jahren lang verunsichert war durch lächerliche Gerüchte und Behauptungen, dann kann man sich auch vorstellen, dass das nicht in einem Jahr zu ändern ist." Seit November versucht auch Hans-Olaf Henkel, diese Änderung voranzutreiben. Der ehemalige Vorsitzende des Bundesverbandes der Deutschen Industrie ist zusammen mit dem früheren Siemens-Chef Heinrich von Pierer einer von zwei Verwaltungsräten der in der Schweiz sitzenden Usedsoft AG. Henkel und Pierer überwachen ähnlich einem deutschen Aufsichtsrat das Unternehmen. Nach Henkels Worten versuchen die etablierten Spieler auf dem Software-Markt weiter Usedsoft Barrieren in den Weg zu legen. "Mir sind ein paar Dinge zu Ohren gekommen, die zum Teil groteske Formen annehmen", sagt Henkel. "Es hat zum Beispiel Korrespondenzen zwischen Microsoft und Kunden von Usedsoft gegeben, in denen Microsoft die Briefe von der Abteilung für Software-Piraterie hat unterschreiben lassen. Das ist ein übler Trick, um Kunden vorzugaukeln, dass es sich bei den Lizenzen von Usedsoft um Piraterieprodukte handelt." Ein Microsoft-Sprecher teilt auf Anfrage mit, dass Usedsoft seinen Kunden regelmäßig verschweige, aus welchen Lizenzverträgen die gebraucht gekauften Lizenzen stammen und wer der ursprüngliche Lizenznehmer sei. "Ohne diese Information kann ein Usedsoft-Kunde keinen lückenlosen Lizenznachweis führen. Die Interessen von Microsoft vertritt in solchen Fällen die Anti-Piraterie-Abteilung." Es sei generell frustrierend zu sehen, mit welchen Mitteln Software-Hersteller versuchen, das Geschäft zu behindern, sagt dagegen Usedsoft-Verwaltunsrat Henkel. Doch sei auch zu spüren, dass der Widerstand kleiner werde. Sein Geschäftsführer Schneider glaubt indes nicht, dass Unternehmen wie Microsoft oder auch der Kreativprogrammentwickler Adobe mit Abomodellen für Software dem Handel die Geschäftsgrundlage nehmen könnten. Außerdem machen die neuen Cloud-Geschäftsmodelle "nicht die Milliarden Lizenzen obsolet, die ohnehin schon im Markt vorhanden sind", sagt Schneider. Und mit diesen Lizenzen will er weiter Geld verdienen. Auf seine Adelung als Goliath kann er nach eigenen Angaben übrigens verzichten. "Ich will hier nicht als Robin Hood für Arme berühmt werden und mich auch nicht am Goliath abarbeiten", sagt Schneider. "Ich will einfach nur vom großen Kuchen des Software-Marktes ein Stück abhaben."

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Israeli regulators launch review of Google acquisition of Waze

Washingtonpost.com, here

News from the WIPO GA floor: the Marrakesh Treaty – upcoming signatories

Wipomonitor.org, here

Zweitverwertungsrecht passiert auch den Bundesrat

A. Metzger, hier

French lawmakers on both sides unite to spear Amazon

France24.com, here

Competition policy in a larger EU

J. Almunia, here

Urheberrechtsverletzungen im Internet in ganzer EU klagbar

DerStandard.at, hier

Lowering Your Standards: DRM and the Future of the W3C

Eff.org, here

Sanctions loom large: Samsung execs were told all terms of secret Nokia-Apple patent license

Fosspatents.com, here.

DRM, écosystème fermé : une TVA forte contre Kindle et iPad

Actualitte.com, ici

By focusing on patent strategy a New Zealand start-up hits the jackpot with Samsung

Iam-magazine.com, here

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Scribd Enters Increasingly Crowded Ebook Subscription Market

Digitalbookworld.com, here

With HarperCollins Deal, Scribd Unveils Its Bid To Become The Netflix For Books

TechCrunch,.com, here

Hotel Online Booking: The OFT announces its intention to accept binding commitments

Kluwercompetitionlawblog.com, here

Google Said to Avoid U.S. Antitrust Challenge Over Waze

Bloomberg.com, here

Period of limitations in follow-on competition cases: the elephant in the room?

P. Akman, here

New UK competition law landscape begins to take shape with creation of new authority

Edwardswildman.com, here

CMA's mission and strategy

A. Crisholm, here

The Google antitrust case: what is at stake?

J. Almunia, here

Brazil’s patent reform: innovation towards national competitiveness

Chamber of Deputies, Center for Strategic Studies and Debates, here

Pourquoi Apollinaire a mis 95 ans pour entrer dans le domaine public

LePoint.fr, ici

Copyright Small Claims

US Register of Copyrights, here.

MPs have missed the mark in attacking copyright reform

I. Hargreaves, here

UK isolated in Data Protection Regulation discussions; is it a result of NSA shenanigans?

Amberhawk.typepad.com, here

Buchpreisbindung: Rabattgutscheine von Thalia.at sind legal

Heise.de, hier

Thursday, September 26, 2013

US Ambassador: WIPO Needs More Balance – Toward Rightsholders

IP-watch.org, here

The economics of the newspaper business

H. Varian, here

Google Recently Made A Silent Shift To A New Search Algorithm, “Hummingbird”

TeleCrunch.com, here

Remedies Matter: The Importance of Achieving Effective Antitrust Outcomes

B. Baer, here

Video of Steve Jobs's iPhone presentation kills Apple's photo gallery touch patent in Germany

FossPatents.com, here

The FTC's Role in Shaping Antitrust Doctrine: Recent Successes and Future Targets

J. Wright, here.

WIPO Member States have denied Pirate Parties International's application for admittance as a Permanent Observer

PP-international.net, here.

Smartphone patent foes, other tech firms jointly urge Europe to prevent rise of abusive litigation

Fosspatents.com, here.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte releases new discussion draft legislation to address patent litigation abuse

IPO.org, here

Don’t wait for Congress, says judge in Google Books case

PaidContent.org, here.
Transcript of the hearing here

Zweitverwertungsrecht: Mehr Open Access oder bloßer Placebo?

E. Steinhauer, hier

Does copyright law work? New and ongoing empirical research suggests: not always

Columbia Journalism Review, here

La gestion collective a commencé pour les oeuvres du registre ReLIRE

Actualitte.com, ici

Android and the Tesco Effect

G. Moody, here

Will Netflix help fight online piracy in the Netherlands?

Futureofcopyright.com, here

Erixon: TTIP will move to fast track if first results come early

Euractiv.com, here

Judge appears to back Google's defense of digital books project

Cnet.com, here

Friday, September 20, 2013

Google/Waze: Initial Undertakings Given by Google to the OFT

Here

Google Maps versus OpenStreetMap: charting new territory on the Web?

Inaglobal.fr, ici

Wie sich der Bundesrat aus der Schlinge einer Ablehnung des Zweitverwertungsrechts zieht

R. Kuhlen, hier

Exception "handicap" au droit d'auteur et développement de l'offre de publications accessibles à l'ère numérique

Ministère de la Culture, Inspection générale des affaires culturelles, ici, ici

Spotify veut se démarquer avec des contenus exclusifs

Numerama.com, ici. 

Open Data: Not Just Good. Better

Opencorporates, Presentation, here

Solving the Orphan Works Problem for the United States

D. Hansen, K. Hashimoto, G. Hinze, P. Samuelson, J. Urban, here

AG Sharpston on technological protection measures

The1709Blog.blogspot.com, here

Spar-Chef erhebt Spionagevorwürfe gegen die Wettbewerbsbehörde

Salzburg.com, hier

VG Wort will Leistungsschutzrecht-Gelder eintreiben

Heise.de, hier.

Monday, September 16, 2013

The 2013 Marrakesh Treaty: Providing Access to Copyrighted Works for the Blind and Print Disabled

Program on Information Justice and the Public Interest, American University Law School, Public Forum, Video here

Institutional Advantage in Competition and Innovation Policy

H. Hovenkamp, here

Antitrust And Innovation: Rebalancing The Scale

J. Brill, here

Commissioner Wright (FTC) takes antitrust-minimalist position on standard-essential patents

Foss.patents.com, here

Net Neutrality Delayed, Net Neutrality Denied

M. Copps, here

Parliamentary questions in The Netherlands about copyright and the distribution of e-books

Futureofcopyright.com, here

European Research Council funds arXiv – a taste of changes to come

Blogs.nature.com, here

No competition minister in Australia's new Cabinet

J. Clarke, here

Touch ID: Datenschützer warnt vor Fingerscanner in iPhone

Spiegel.de, hier

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Vertical Restraints for On-line Sales

OECD, Policy Roundtable, here

SSOs, FRAND, and Antitrust: Lessons from the Economics of Incomplete Contracts

J. Wright, here

The ‘miracle of Marrakesh’: negotiating the VIP Treaty for books for the blind

N. Suzor, here

EDRi’s “FAQs” on net neutrality: a rebuttal

R. Heath, here

Enforcement of the competition rules – next steps for reform

G. Barling, here

La grogne des taxis contre la concurrence des smartphones

Liberation.fr, ici

Telekom - Netz der Zukunft

Netzneutralitaet.cc, Video, ab 1:38, hier.

Commissioner Kroes misses historic opportunity to guarantee net neutrality

M. Schaake, here

Russia's Latest Idea: An Internet Whitelist For Copyright Materials

Techdirt.com, here

Facebook Privacy Change Is Subject of F.T.C. Inquiry

NYTimes.com, here

Benzinpreis-App im Bürokratiestau

Blog.zdf.de, hier

FRAND part of Posner ruling likely to be affirmed

Fosspatents.com, here

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Google rivals seek review of new concessions in E.U. antitrust case

Computerworld.com, here

Copyright and the Government: The ‘Missing’ Proviso in Section 105

R. Picker, here

Decision standards for price-based exclusionary strategies: The equally efficient competitor test in the light of Post-Danmark

F. Marty, Presentation, here

Kroes' Unacceptable Anti-Net Neutrality Law Rushed Despite Criticisms

LaQuadrature.net, here

Agreed Use and Fair Use: The Economic Effects of Fair Use and Other Copyright Exceptions

G. Barker, here.

Legal battle between Cisco and Multiven flares up with EU antitrust complaint

ITWorld.com, here

Fiscalité du numérique: le Gouvernement salue une "contribution utile" du CNNum

Numerama.com, ici. Avis ici

iPhones, fingerprints and privacy

P. Bernal, here. 

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Opposition to Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers’ request to exempt e-readers from the accessibility requirement

Organizations representing the interests of people with disabilities, here

Privacy and Big Data - Making Ends Meet

J. Polonetsky, O. Tene, here

2013 OECD Guidelines Governing the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data

OECD, here

Leak: DG JUSTICE Analysis Of Kroes' Attack On Net Neutrality

Edri.org, here

CNMC: perfil político y técnico bajo para la nueva institución

Cincodias.com, aquì.

Kroes’s telecoms plan faces Commission hostility

EurActiv.com, here

Evaluating Graduated Response

R. Giblin, here

Bid-Rigging in Canada: Recent Developments

Kluwercompetitionlawblog.com, here

UK open-access route too costly, report says

Nature.com, here

Open Access

UK Parliament, Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Volume I here, Volume II here

Some thoughts on the new anti-Google (Android) complaint

Chilling Competition, here

Status of the Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation: Where Do We Stand?

C. Burton, A. Pateraki, here

Broadcasters' court victories over FilmOn X threaten Aereo's expansion

TheVerge.com, here

Friday, September 06, 2013

L'école numérique prend forme aux Pays-Bas, la France est plus timide

Numerama.com, ici.

The Fertilizer Oligopoly: The Case for Global Antitrust Enforcement

C.Taylor, D. Moss, here

Judge in ebook price-fixing case issues permanent injunction against Apple

TheVerge.com, here

Nach PRISM: Europas Datenschutz braucht jetzt Vorfahrt

V. Reding, hier.

Gemeinsam für einen starken europaweiten Datenschutz

Europäische Kommission, Memo, hier

Breathing Space for Cloud-Based Business Models

M. Senftleben, here

Canadian Universities Navigate Learning Curve for New Copyright Rules

M. Geist, here

Energie 2013: Wettbewerb in Zeiten der Energiewende

Monopolkommission, Sondergutachten, hier

Friday, August 30, 2013

The innovation-enhancing effects of network neutrality

V. Koesis, J. Weda, here.

A few words about math

Noahpinionblog.blogspot.com, here

Understanding the Impact of Releasing and Re-Using Open Government Data

K. Granickas, here

Europa se persona en el Supremo contra las aseguradoras

ElEconomista.es, aquì

My Take on the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty/14/END

(Previous episodes here).

Thus, for instance, the compatibility, under the second prong of the three-step test, of the commercial availability of accessible format copies with the enjoyment of limitations and exceptions for the print disabled has not been questioned in US copyright law, where the so called “Chafee Amendment” does not require authorized entities to check for the commercial availability of accessible format copies prior to making copies.

Nevertheless, countries are in principle free to enact limitations and exceptions in their national copyright legislation that are located well below the “upper” limit indicated by the test. The 2006 Sullivan Study noted in this respect that exceptions for the benefit of the visually impaired in some national copyright laws included a requirement that the work to be used had not been published already “in a special format” or “in an accessible format."

When national legislators insist on the absence of commercial availability, there is often the recognition that the mere presence of market offerings does not normally suffice to facilitate access to works by disabled persons, though.  Thus, for instance, the recently amended Canadian Copyright Act states that the exemption under Section 32 for the benefit of “persons with perceptual disabilities” does not apply where the work in a format specially designed to meet the needs of any person with a perceptual disability is commercially available, by that meaning “available on the Canadian market within a reasonable time and for a reasonable price and may be located with reasonable effort” (emphasis added).  Also the UK proposed exception for the benefit of disabled persons, currently under review, would apply only if accessible format copies “are not commercially available on reasonable terms with the authority of the copyright owner” (emphasis added).

The Marrakesh Treaty does not contain any mandatory reference to “commercial availability”. Under Art. 4 of the Treaty, devoted to “National Law Limitations and Exceptions Regarding Accessible Format Copies,” paragraph 4 merely states that “a contracting Party may confine limitations or exceptions under this Article to works which, in the particular accessible format, cannot be obtained commercially under reasonable terms for beneficiary persons in that market” Moreover, an Agreed statement confirms that the commercial availability requirement under Art.4(4) does not prejudge whether or not a limitation or exception under Article 4 is consistent with the three-step test.

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This post concludes Waves' first Feuilleton estival 
Coming "soon" a paper loosely based on these posts (working title: "Marrakesh Treaty for the Print Disabled: Limitations and Exceptions in Transition)."

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Public Companies and Competition Law: The Launching of an ICN Project

E. Fox, here.

See also here.

Obbligo di accesso aperto per pubblicazioni relative a ricerche finanziate con fondi pubblici

P. Galimberti, qui.

Art. 4 del Decreto Legge 8 agosto 2013, n. 91 Disposizioni urgenti per la tutela, la valorizzazione e il rilancio dei beni e delle attivita' culturali e del turismo. (13G00135) (GU n.186 del 9-8-2013 ) qui

Startups and Regulation

J. Fingleton, here

My Take on the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty/13


(Available episodes so far here).

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the three-step test formed the dense background against which the domestic and the cross-border contours of the mandatory exemptions for the benefit of the print disabled were negotiated at the WIPO. Particularly illustrative in this respect is the issue of commercial availability, which negotiators could solve only in the very last hours of the Marrakesh diplomatic conference.

Briefly put, the question was whether it was appropriate to impose the lack of commercial offers of accessible/special format works as a condition of the applicability of the limitations and exceptions established by the Treaty. In other words, whether it was necessary to check for commercial availability of publisher offerings with accessibility features able to meet the needs of the print disabled, before invoking the exemptions covered by the new international instrument.

During the treaty negotiations, the World Blind Union and other stakeholders raised deep concerns especially regarding the requirement to check for commercial availability in another country, considered a serious obstacle to the fulfillment of the aim of the Treaty, that was notably “to ensure that a greater number of books and information were available to print disabled and blind people.” According to those opposing the introduction of commercial availability into the language of the treaty, the requirement would have entailed bureaucratic burden and liability risks, seriously hampering the cross-border circulation of accessible formats copies for the benefit of print disabled persons. Instead, publishers and other organizations mainly representing rightholders supported the introduction of that requirement, noting that commercial publishing and commercial products were an important aspect of providing access to persons with print disability, in developed and developing countries, and that the bureaucracy and liability burdens could be substantially reduced by spelling out simple, easy to use, and effective mechanisms. Moreover, the principle of priority for commercial works was needed in order to incentivize publishers to create accessible copies.

Apparently, one  more “technical” argument made by some negotiators against the introduction of commercial availability language into the final text of the treaty for the print disabled, was that the requirement was already included in the second step of the three-step test. The reply from the publishers' side was that “(B)eside the fact that the three step test represented as essential principle of the copyright system, there was a need to have a clear statement in the text that incentivized publishers to provide accessible formats from the outset at the same time, place and price.”

The second step of the well-known test states that limitations or exceptions to exclusive rights are confined to cases which “do not conflict with a normal exploitation of the work.” The Main Committee I at the Stockholm Conference introducing the test into the Berne Convention, gave the practical example of photocopying: “If it (photocopying, SV) consists of producing a very large number of copies, it may not be permitted, as it conflicts with a normal exploitation of the work.” However, what exactly constitutes the normal exploitation of the work has not ceased being debated since the Stockholm Conference. The WTO Panel noted in this respect that “... not every use of a work, which, in principle is covered by the scope of exclusive rights and involves commercial gain, necessarily conflicts with a normal exploitation of that work. If this were the case, hardly any exception or limitation could pass the test of the second condition.” Only under an absolutist understanding of IP protection, refuted also by the WTO Panel, the potential of commercial gain should bar per se the application of limitations and exemptions.

(Last episode of Waves' Feuilleton de l'été 2013 possibly tomorrow).

OFT welcomes Amazon’s decision to end price parity policy

OFT.gov.uk, here

Hollywood Studios Win Massive Hotfile Lawsuit

Hollywoodreporter.com, here

Que veinte años no es nada...

M. Flores Bernés, aquì.

A Spotify for Physical Objects Wants to Drown Out 3D-Printing Piracy

Motherboard.vice.com, here

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Brief History of Disruptive Innovation

Project-disco.org, Part I and Part II

My Take on the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty/12

(Available episodes so far here).

Short of incorporating a stand-alone three-step test into the final language of the Marrakesh Treaty, the “general clause” of Article 1 should be read as preponderantly referring to the non-derogation of the obligations concerning the three-step test that contracting parties have to each other under any other treaties. Furthermore, Article 11, under the heading “General Obligations on Limitations and Exceptions,” states that contracting parties, “in adopting measures necessary to ensure the application of this Treaty,” need to comply with their extant obligations concerning the application of the various iterations of the three-step test under Berne, TRIPS, and the WCT.

At the close of the intense Marrakesh negotiations, a carefully achieved compromise emerged also on the “Berne Gap” issue. Under Article 5(4)(a), when an authorized entity of a non-Berne country receives accessible format copies from another country, it will ensure that those copies “are only reproduced, distributed or made available for the benefit of beneficiary persons in that Contracting Party’s jurisdiction.” In other words, a non-Berne country is not under any obligation to apply the three-step test as long as the relevant copyright activities (reproduction, distribution, and making available) are for the benefit of visually impaired persons of its own jurisdiction. In this respect, the final wording of this provision is less strict than proposals to bridge the Berne Gap by incorporating into national legislation the Berne version of the three-step test in connection with the cross-border receipt of accessible format copies, without distinction as to the country of the beneficiary person.

Article 5(4)(b) envisages a slightly different solution with regard to non-WCT countries. An authorized entity in a country which is not party to the WCT is under the obligation to confine the distribution and the making available of accessible format copies to that jurisdiction, unless the contracting party “limits (sic) limitations and exceptions implementing this Treaty to the right of distribution and the right of making available to the public to certain special cases which do not conflict with a normal exploitation of the work and do not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the rightholder.” As such, Article 5(4)(b) of the Marrakesh Treaty contains a specific obligation directed at contracting parties that are not party to the WCT, in the shape of a condition for letting authorized entities in those countries export accessible format copies to other contracting parties. In this specific case, non-WCT countries need to implement the Marrakesh Treaty by providing for limitations and exceptions in the national copyright law that apply the instrument-specific three-step test to the right of distribution and to the right of making available to the public. Thus, the Marrakesh-specific three-step test would apply, it seems, not only to exporting activities, but also to domestic acts of distribution and making available.

The first of the two agreed statements concerning Article 5(4)(b) isolates the Marrakesh-specific obligation to adopt the three-step test from obligations under other international instruments. Moreover, it clarifies that Article 5(4)(b) should not be seen as a “Trojan horse” expanding the application of the three-step test beyond the area of exceptions and limitations for the print disabled covered by the Treaty. The second agreed statement clarifies that the Marrakesh Treaty does not create any obligation “to ratify or accede to the WCT or to comply with any of its provisions.” At the same time, the Marrakesh Treaty does not prejudice “any rights limitations and exceptions contained in the WCT.”

In sum, the Marrakesh negotiators have avoided inserting into the new copyright treaty a full-fledged three-step test, to apply on top of the already existing obligations under other binding instruments. After the Marrakesh Treaty, it is possible to refer to the precedent of a treaty  in international copyright law without its own version of a comprehensive three-step test. More importantly, the point has been made that the respect of the contracting parties’ obligations under the existing copyright treaties and conventions is compatible with an international legal instrument introducing clear, manageable mandatory exceptions and limitations in the interest of the general public. The only, minor extension of the three-step test concerns non-WCT countries in connection with the export of accessible format copies to other contracting parties. As seen above, the Marrakesh-specific three-step test is likely to apply on acts of distribution and making available without distinction as to the destination of the copies in accessible formats.

(To be continued)

Amici Submit Brief in Support of Ambry Genetics and Gene by Gene

Patentdocs.org, here

Indian government refutes Novartis' allegations of 'discriminatory' patent practices

Economictimes.indiatimes.com, here

Hadopi : des mesures anti-piratage et pro-filtrage en janvier 2014

Numerama.com, ici

IT Professionals welcome passing of Patents Bill in New Zealand

Iitp.org.nz, here.
New clause 10A on computer programs here

Kartellrecht und Marktmanipulation

D. Zimmer, hier

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Amazon kündigt an, Preisparität nicht mehr durchzusetzen

Bundeskartellamt.de, hier

My Take on the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty/11

(Available episodes so far here).

The 1996 WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, and the Beijing Audiovisual Performances Treaty, concluded in 2012, also include instrument-specific three-step tests. As to the more recent Treaty, Article 13(2) states that contracting parties, in providing in their national legislations limitations or exceptions with regard to the protection of performers, “shall confine” them “to certain special cases which do not conflict with a normal exploitation of the performance and do not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the performer.” An agreed statement concerning Article 13 of the Beijing Treaty adds that the WCT agreed statement concerning Art.10, considered at length above, “is applicable mutatis mutandis also to Article 13.”

Having regard to its importance and its historically laden complexity, it comes as little surprise that the three-step test soon became one of the most debated issues in the course of the years-long negotiations that led to the successful adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty. In particular, there were concerns and suspicions from the opposite ends of the negotiating tables that the treaty for print disabled persons could be used either to expand or to reduce the reach of the test, with ripple effects propagating throughout the IP system. Briefly put, on the one hand discussions revolved around the three-step test’s appropriate stance; on the other hand, the domestic and the cross-border contours of the mandatory exemption for the benefit of the print disabled were negotiated against the background of the application of the test.

With regard to the first issue, much debated was especially whether the three-step test should have been inserted into the Treaty as a stand-alone provision. In this respect, the proposed broad Marrakesh three-step test,  supported in particular by industry stakeholders and delegates from developed countries, would have resembled Art.5(5) of the InfoSoc Directive. Similarly to what happened in connection with the implementation of the EU Directive into a number of the member States’ legal systems, some contracting parties to the Marrakesh Treaty might have then decided to implement the obligations under the international instrument in question not only by enacting self-contained limitations and exceptions for the benefit of the print-disabled, but also by replicating, in their domestic legislation, the extensive language of the three-step test, thus infusing more complexity and uncertainty into the system. Nevertheless, one of the most influential arguments supporting the inclusion of a stand-alone three-step test, especially towards the end of the negotiations, was made in relation to an issue that came to be dubbed the “Berne Gap.” A number of countries which might have been signatories to the treaty for the print disabled, were not Berne, WCT or TRIPS parties, and therefore not bound by the therein envisioned three-step test(s), giving rise to particular concerns in connection with the cross-border exchange of accessible format copies.

In the early stages of the negotiations, Art.2(2) of the EU Draft Joint Recommendation contained the proposal for a stand-alone test. Two years later, Article Ebis of the November 23, 2012 draft text put forth a pair of basic alternative formulations (plus some variations) of the three-step test, whose most stringent incarnation would have subjected national exceptions and limitations already consistent with the Treaty to a full-blown, additional review shaped in the language of Article 13 of TRIPS (“interest of the right holder”). On this specific issue, the last draft text of the treaty adopted before Marrakesh still indicated the necessity of thorough discussions to be carried forward at the diplomatic conference.

(To be continued).

Uralkali CEO arrested in Belarus amid potash dispute

CBC.ca, here.

OFT reviews Waze's acquisition by Google

OFT.co.uk, here.

Google Books Fair Use Trial: Briefs available

Here ( HT @ARLpolicy).

Ding Ding, Seconds Out For Round Two Of The Microsoft v. Motorola Mobility Patent Fight

Forbes.com, here.

Données personnelles : mieux vaut pirater un ebook que l'acheter

ActuaLitte.com, ici