In the News

Satellite Channel on IP Rights

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, the first Arab satellite channel on intellectual property rights, launched in Egypt this summer with the dual aim of strengthening awareness on IP issues and of giving a clearer picture of the IP situation in the Arab world. Based in Cairo, with offices in most major cities, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh will handle regional and international IP issues, providing a clearer understanding of the legal, economic, technical and social dimensions of IP protection in relation to issues important to the Arab world such as the preservation of biological diversity and the protection of traditional knowledge and expressions of folklore.

The Talal Abu-Ghazaleh channel broadcasts on NileSat in both Arabic and English.

Source: IP Watch

China Reports Sharp Increase in IP Rights Cases

China's Intellectual Property Rights Court has reported a steady rise in IP rights cases over the past 30 years, and more specifically since accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. Between 2001 and 2007, local IP courts nationwide settled 74,200 such cases with an annual increase of 22.92 percent. However, in the first ten months of 2008, those same courts handled over 20,000 cases, a 40 percent rise over 2007.

More and more Chinese feel concerned with IP issues. Mr. Xi Siaming, Vice-President of China Supreme People's Court, said that IP right cases are drawing wider attention and covering a greater range of rights: patent violations, franchising, domain names, trademarks, etc. The Supreme Court has designated various specialized courts to handle the different types of IP rights cases that may arise. For example, of the 71 courts specialize in patent violations, 38 specifically handle new plant varieties and 43 the layout of integrated circuits. As of October, China had received 4.66 million patent applications and 6.25 million trademark applications.

The National Copyright Administration also reported that China has been increasingly tough in cracking down on IP rights infringement and piracy. Local offices of the Administration dealt with 66,000 infringement cases and confiscated 478 million pirated products from 2002 to 2007.

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