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Are Indian Consumer Laws Ready for the Digital Age?
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, recognizing the need for protection of the rights of consumers, drafted a set of model guidelines on consumer protection which were adopted by the General Assembly in 1985. The United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP) act as an international reference point of the consumer movement, however since it has been over a quarter of a century since they were first drafted, there is a strong argument for revising them to bring them in line with new developments in technology and business practices.
Do You Have the Right to Unlock Your Smart Phone?
In this blog post Puneeth Nagaraj looks at the recent controversy over the expiration of the exemption granted by the US Library of Congress for unlocking phones and compares the Indian position as per a 2005 Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment.
Comments on the Draft Guidelines for Computer Related Inventions
The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) submitted the below comments to the office of the Controller General of Patents Designs & Trademarks, Mumbai on July 26, 2013.
The ASSOCHAM International Conference on the "Interface between Intellectual Property and Competition Law"
An international conference on interface between intellectual property and competition law was organized by ASSOCHAM on July 12, 2013 in New Delhi. In this post, Nehaa Chaudhari shares select notes from the conference.
Indian Language Wikipedia Statistics (September 2012 – April 2013)
The Access to Knowledge team carried out a quantitative analysis to identify trends and growth patterns in Indian Language Wikipedias over the time period from September 2012 to April 2013.
India's Closing Statement at Marrakesh on the Treaty for the Blind
This was the statement that the Government of India made at the closing of the WIPO Diplomatic Conference to Conclude a Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities (17-28 June 2013), after the Marrakesh Treaty (the "Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for the Blind, Visually Impaired and otherwise Print Disabled") was adopted.
CIS's Closing Statement at Marrakesh on the Treaty for the Blind
Pranesh Prakash read out an abridged version of this statement as his closing remarks in Marrakesh, where the WIPO Treaty for the Blind (the "Marrakesh Treaty") has been successfully concluded. The Marrakesh Treaty aims to facilitate access to published works by blind persons, persons with visual impairment, and other print disabled persons, by requiring mandatory exceptions in copyright law to enable conversions of books into accessible formats, and by enabling cross-border transfer of accessible format books.
Letter for Establishment of Patent Pool for Low-cost Access Devices through Compulsory Licenses
On June 27, 2013, CIS sent a letter for establishment of a patent pool for low cost access devices through compulsory licenses.
Pervasive Technologies: Patent Pools
In this research paper, Nehaa Chaudhari gives an analysis of patent pools. She discusses the working of a patent pool, study patent pool in other areas of technology, and patenting in telecom and related technology.
Primer on the Treaty for the Visually Impaired
In this primer, Pranesh Prakash and Puneeth Nagaraj explain what effects a WIPO Treaty for the Visually Impaired can have and who's opposing it.
India- EU FTA: A Note on the Copyright Issues
In this blog post, Nehaa Chaudhari gives us an overview of some of the provisions of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the copyright issues identified therein.
CIS Signs MOU with TISS, Mumbai
The Access to Knowledge (A2K) team from the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has signed a MOU with the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Mumbai.
On the Unfortunate Rise of the Indian SLAPP Suit
It is not news in this country when the law or other institutions of the state, are used as tools by which to threaten or intimidate citizens into submission to a particular course of action or to a particular point of view. Unfortunate as that is, today’s post will deal with the rising incidence of SLAPP suits, an abuse of the adjudicatory process that is also a feature in a number of jurisdictions elsewhere.
CIS Intervention on the Treaty for the Visually Impaired at SCCR/SS/GE/2/13
The informal session and special session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights was organised by WIPO in Geneva from April 18 to April 20, 2013. Pranesh Prakash participated in the session and spoke about the rights of the visually impaired. An abridged version of this was read out during the meeting on Saturday, April 20, 2013, at 22:15 due to time restrictions.
Pervasive Technologies: Access to Knowledge in the Market Place — A Presentation by Sunil Abraham
The 2012 Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest was organized in Rio de Janeiro from December 15 to 17, 2012. The Centre for Internet & Society partnered FGV, Washington College of Law, the American Embassy, African Information Research and Training and International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development in this event. Sunil Abraham made a presentation on Pervasive Technologies on the opening day, December 15, 2012.
Exploring the Internals of Mobile Devices — Report from a One-day Workshop at TERI
On October 27, 2012, the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) organised a one-day workshop on exploring the internals of mobile technologies at the TERI Southern Regional Centre in Bangalore. The workshop received more than 140 registrants, of which approximately 40 attended. In this post, Jadine Lannon explores the discussions and the developments that took place at the workshop.
Comments on the Broadcast Treaty and Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives
This November at WIPO the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights was witness to a tough negotiation on the proposed Treaty providing access to copyrighted materials to visually impaired persons. In between these discussions, the SCCR also found time to have two short plenary sessions on the proposed broadcast treaty as well as working documents on exceptions for libraries and archives.
Comments on the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (Draft)
The Department of Science and Technology invited public comments on the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (Draft). Accordingly, the Centre for Internet and Society has made the following comments on the draft policy document.
Pervasive Mobile Technologies: Meet Our Mobile Devices!
As a part of the Pervasive Technologies: Access to Knowledge in the Marketplace research project, the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) is researching 12 mobile phone devices to generate a better understanding of the intellectual property (IP) implications of pervasive mobile technologies available in the Indian market. This post is an introduction to our 12 mobile phones.
Transcripts of Discussions at WIPO SCCR 25
We are providing archival copies of the transcripts of the 25th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, which is being held in Geneva from November 19, 2012 to November 23, 2012.
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