Tag: intellectual property

As a new candidate for EU membership, Serbia will have to adopt the controversial ACTA agreement if the bloc ratifies it. Official statistics show that software piracy in Serbia remains higher than in any EU member. EurActiv Serbia reports.

Italy and Spain yesterday (30 May) lodged a complaint with the European Court of Justice against attempts by other member states to introduce an EU patent without them.

Brian Ager, Director-General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), is leaving his position after 16 years at the head of the trade association. In an interview with EurActiv, he reflects on his tenure and discusses some of the new legislation and controversies affecting the pharmaceutical industry.

The EU and India opened a brand new chapter of political cooperation during the first summit between the 27-country bloc and its Indian partner since the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, which gives the European Union a greater role in foreign affairs and security.

The European Union hopes to reach an accord with South American trade bloc Mercosur by mid-2011 as negotiators iron out details on tough issues such as farm aid and intellectual property, the EU's trade chief Karel De Gucht said yesterday (14 September).

Confidential data provided by European companies to the Chinese authorities as part of patent applications and environmental impact assessments are being leaked to local competitors, according to the European Union's Chamber of Commerce in China.

The German Presidency has urged public-research institutions and universities to professionalise their management of intellectual property and proposes the establishment of a specific European Charter for this purpose.

As Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy makes "one final effort" to break the impasse on the EU community patent, campaigners warn that the Commission's proposal could bring back software patents "through the back door".