http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/anrep_e/anrep07_e.pdf
Reports on multilateral trade developments including trade in goods and services, trade-rerlated aspects of copyright and intellectual property rights and the progress of the Doha Round of trade negotiations. From the World Trade Organization
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33810.pdf
Various types of Internet functionality, such as hyperlinking, thumbnails, and caching, pose challenges for judicial interpretation when courts try to relate them to a copyright holder's traditional right to control reproduction and distribution of protected works. Does basic operation of the Internet constitute or facilitate copyright infringement. This study looks at recent court cases to seeek an emerging judicial consensus. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.
Latest annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights protection and enforcement by the U.S. government. Designates 43 countries for monitoring or watch list status because of weak intellectual property rights protection or enforcement. Top priority is reducing rampant counterfeiting and piracy in China and Russia. From the International Trade Commission.
http://www.ftc.gov/reports/innovation/P040101PromotingInnovationandCompetitionrpt0704.pdf
Discusses the relationship between intellectual property rights and antitrust legislation, especially in cases where monopoly power over a market is alleged. Sythesizes the views of more than 300 panelists at a series of hearings on Competition and Intellectual Property Law and Policy in the Knowledge-Based Economy. From the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/copyright/oir_report_on_inadvertent_sharing_v1012.pdf
Analyzes five popular filesharing programs and determines that they have deployed at least five features that cause users to share files inadvertently. Also argues that the filesharing programs infringe copyrights and threaten the security of personal, corporate and governmental data. From the Patent and Trademark Office.
http://opencrs.cdt.org/rpts/RL33887_20070221.pdf
Reviews the nature of the exemptions, what legal basis exists for the periodic review and designation of exemptions, summarizes the exemptions granted and rejected in 2006, and describes public reactions to the 2006 exemptions. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33750.pdf
Examines the controversy surrounding access to certain life-sustaining medicines in developing countries suffering from HIV/AIDs epidemics, the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies in developed countries, and the licensing role of the World Trade Organization. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0749.pdf
Reviews the process of bringing new drugs to market, presents data on the decreasing number of new drug applications and increasing cost of research, and offers experts views on why these trends are occurring. From the Government Accountability Office.
http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Reports_Publications/2006/asset_upload_file688_10223.pdf
Latest annual report on Chinese performance in meeting its obligations for fair trade practices as set by the World Trade Organization. The U.S. finds progress in some areas but more improvement is needed in protection of intellectual property and market access. From the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
http://www.copyright.gov/1201/
Expands access to ebooks, audiovisual materials and computer programs under copyright. Announces six classes of works that can be created without violating the legal prohibition against circumventing access controls. Includes such newly legal activities as making compilations of portions of audiovisual works in an educational library for educational use in a media studies or film classroom. From the Library of Congress.
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06328/
Beginning in 2002, the absolute value of industrial research and development funds to academic institutions began to decline, following a three decades-long period, 1972-2001, in which support steadily grew to a peak of $2.2 billion in 2001. Blames disagreements over the treatment of intellectual property rights for a new trend where U.S. companies are working more with foreign universities. From the National Science Foundaiton.
