The United States Copyright Office has reversed a long-standing policy and is urging Congress to pass new legislation that would provide visual artists with a royalty payment upon the resale of their copyrighted work. This approach recognizes that a visual artist should be paid when a unique work appreciates in value. This is an about-turn […]
The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) which went into effect in March contains a little-discussed provision that could greatly strengthen the value and patentability of long-held trade secrets. In published notes on the new law, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has indicated that it will no longer consider secret sales and secret use of […]
The European Union is in the early stages of creating a Union-wide law governing the protection of trade secrets. The new law, proposed Nov. 28 and at least a year from possible implementation, would replace a patchwork of individual state regulations and procedures governing trade secrets. This patchwork, observers say, makes the trade waters of […]
If press reports are to be believed — and their increasing number and frequency suggests they should be — the Administration is cooking up some unpleasant surprises in its tightly held (some would say secretive) discussions around the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Reportedly, a potential TPP treaty will significantly impact our copyright laws. Like many trade […]