incommunicado

Today the Brazilian government published a list of US goods that will be subject to higher import taxes when entering Brazil, according to a press release.
This follows a WTO dispute settlement decision giving Brazil the authorisation to suspend Brazil's concessions and other obligations in the WTO towards the US which was found in violation of international trade rules over its cotton subsidies (IPW, WTO/TRIPS, 7 September 2009-).
The list, which corresponds to retaliation in amount of US (...)

Recently the Brazilian Prosecutor General's Office manifested favorably to the annullment of pharmaceutical pipeline patents at ADI 4234 at the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF). ADI 4234 is a law suit that argues the unconstitutionality of pipeline patents. Read more about the discussion here-
Source: GTPI and ABIA

by KEI-
On 12 February 2010, the Council of the European Union distributed a table drawn up by the Commission Services, outlining the positions of various counties regarding civil enforcement and the special requirements relating to the Internet. A copy of this 44 page document was leaked on March 1, 2010.
The following are Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) comments on some parts of the EU document.
Types of IP covered
On page 2, the EU insists that "All IPR" should be included in the (...)

Last Thursday, Center for Tecnology and Society was one of the spots that hosted a wireside chat with Lawrence Lessig, one of the main voices from the free culture movement.
Transmitted from Harvard Law School, in partnership with Open Video Alliance-, it was hosted by more then 40 streaming locations, including Rio de Janeiro, Delhi, Sao Paulo, Toronto, New York, and many more, allowing an worldwide interactive conversation with Lessig about copyright and fair use at the digital era. (...)

By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch
Ensuring public access to knowledge while supporting intellectual property rights cuts across broad areas such as internet availability, public health, education and culture, climate change, and basic technical standards. And while the non-profit movement that has worked to encourage access is facing serious challenges this year, they are set to fight it out in the various fora related to essential drugs, books and academic journals, and (...)

by ICTSD
On 11 February Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, approved legislation that allows the suspension and limitation of the IP rights of citizens or companies domiciled in countries that violate WTO rules. The legislation, which effectively enables cross- retaliation, comprised the following measures: (a) suspension and limitation of IP rights; (b) alteration of the rules and procedures that secure IP protection, mainly provided by the Brazilian Patent Office and the Ministry (...)