Institutional Round-Up

USPTO to double number of patent examiners

The Director of the U.S. of A. of America Patent Office has announced that the Office volition recruit an extra 1,000 examiners over the adjacent 5 years according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. This volition stand upward for a doubling of the Office’s examiner caucus [it’s non oftentimes that an English linguistic communication individual gets the excuse to purpose that word]. It is hoped that this recruitment crusade volition aid the Office to bargain alongside its 600,000 patent backlog.

says to a greater extent than ability to the U.S. of A. of America Patent Office – in addition to then long every bit the patent fees don’t double to pay the novel examiners’ salaries.

Is WIPO harming developing countries?

The Financial Times reports that Consumers International, an NGO, is claiming that developing countries are suffering every bit a number of implementing to a greater extent than stringent copyright laws than their international obligations demand. In particular, Consumers International alleges that the developing countries are existence given bad advice yesteryear WIPO. This advice is allegedly existence re-enforced yesteryear misleading WIPO model laws which include clauses that teach farther than countries’ international obligations in addition to which neglect to include permitted flexibilities in addition to exemptions from protection. The occupation is said to hold out specially acuate inwards the plain of exemptions for educational use. According to CI:

“As a result, copyrighted educational materials inwards these countries are expensive in addition to consumers are existence priced out of access to knowledge.”

says that these are serious charged indeed. He hopes that WIPO volition teach far crystal clear to all countries (including those who practice non necessarily convey the funds for adept legal counsel inwards the plain of copyright) which of its policy statements gibe to legal obligations in addition to which are recommendations only.