Showing posts with label RnD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RnD. Show all posts

1/9/09

EU Council Monitor - 09/01/09

Boosting Creativity and Innovation in Europe: Official launch of the European Year 2009 in Prague
"The Czech Presidency of the EU and European Commission launched the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 on Wednesday, 7 January with the slogan “Imagine. Create. Innovate”. The Year was inaugurated during a ceremony in Prague by the Commission President José Manuel Barroso and the Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek. At the accompanying launch conference, the Ambassadors for the Year presented a report on creativity and innovation in the EU, whose message is that investment in education and in the skills and creative capacity of Europe should be the top priority of EU institutions and governments.

The conference to mark the launch of the Year was held in Prague on Wednesday afternoon, and was attended by a host of personalities including high representatives of EU member states, of the European Commission, members of the Czech government and several Ambassadors of the Year. The Conference ran in parallel to the meeting between the Commission and the Czech Government and was followed by the evening inauguration ceremony in the National Theatre in Prague." [Create2009]

Leading European intellectuals urge the EU to invest in Europe´s creative capacity
"A brainstorming session between nine Ambassadors of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 (EYCI) was held this morning in Prague, under the auspices of the Czech Presidency of the European Union. The roundtable conclusions will feed reflection, debate and policy-making all throughout the Year and beyond.

The Ambassadors present welcomed the decision of the EU to declare 2009 the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, particularly in the context of the current crisis, which creates opportunities for reform and change. Moreover, they expressed their commitment to contribute to the success of the Year and to foster long-term debate on these topics, crucial for Europe´s future position in the Word." [Create2009]

11/28/08

EU Public Affairs Monitor - 28/11/08

Monopoly of collecting societies' activities: infringement proceedings against the Czech Republic and Hungary
"The European Commission has decided to send reasoned opinions to the Czech Republic and Hungary on the grounds of obstacles to the freedom of establishment and to the freedom to provide services as a result of the monopolies granted to national rights management companies.

Czech and Hungarian laws provide that a single collecting society may be authorised to operate in their respective countries for each type of right and work. This monopoly granted to national companies bans collecting societies set up in other Member States from undertaking any form of activity and denies them the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services. The Commission has doubts as to the justification of those national measures in the light of their negative effects on two of the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the EC Treaty." [Europa]

The latest information on infringement proceedings concerning all Member States is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/index_en.htm

EMI Music CEO Applauds Govt Action On ISPs
"EMI Music CEO Elio Leoni-Sceti has spoken of his support for the U.K. government's and others' attempts to get ISPs to tackle illegal file-sharing, while admitting the music industry failed to adapt to changes in consumer behavior. Leoni-Sceti appeared at U.K. media/telecoms regulator Ofcom's Next Generation Net Generation conference in London. Vivendi chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy was also among the business leaders at the conference.

The EMI Music CEO appeared on a panel, "Global Content Economy - Challenges for Business," alongside executives including Telefonica Europe CEO Ronan Dunne, Nikesh Arora, president EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) operations, Google, and Roma Khanna, president, global networks & digital initiatives at NBC Universal. Pledging to transform EMI into a "consumer-focused music company," Leoni-Sceti commented: "The new EMI wants to be the most consumer-led, innovative music company in the world - that means listening to our consumers and putting the consumer experience at the heart of our business strategy."A consultation process was recently concluded by the U.K. government, following this summer's brokering of a Memorandum of Understanding between the music industry and ISPs. Part of the agreement includes a pledge by ISPs to write letters to customers who are involved in illegal peer-to-peer activity." [BillBoard] [CMUDaily]

Artists send video message to PM over copyright term
"More from the campaign to persuade Gordon Brown to increase the recorded music copyright term now - and this time the protests have been presented in video form. As much much previously reported, record labels and recording artists have been lobbying the government regarding extending the recording copyright from 50 to 95 years for ages now; the former because the legendary recordings of the rock n roll era are about to come out of copyright; the latter because there is a whole generation of session musicians who will soon start to lose the royalty payments that stem from recordings they worked on in the sixties, which for some are a bulk of their earnings. " [CMUDaily]

EURO LICENSING: THE HARD ROAD AHEAD
"There is no 'us' and 'them' any longer. With nearly 50% of all music consumed by Europeans classified as international repertoire and the rest considered to be essential local music preserving the cultural identities of each European Union (EU) nation, the troubled state of licensing digital publishing rights is not, as some said a few years back, 'a European problem.' After intervention by the European Commission (EC), the current structures for licensing these rights are seen by some to be as volatile as the financial markets. How everyone responds to the situation will inevitably impact the future of recorded music, music publishing, digital and mobile music services and broadcasting -- and everyone else in the creator-to-consumer chain of distribution. Considering the importance of intellectual property as a significant contributor to worldwide economies, figuring out solutions during this economic crisis, in the midst of the physical-to-digital music transition, becomes even more essential.

Music Confidential reached out to senior executives and lawyers throughout Europe to shed some light, and perhaps a bit of insight, on problems and possible solutions following the EC's mandate to restructure rights and operating procedures among the network of collecting societies. Despite an extraordinary amount of angst and concern among the interested parties, there are opportunities and some optimism to report." [MusicConfidential]

Conference calls on WIPO to Boost Support for Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights
"A conference on the future evolution of collective management of copyright and related rights in Europe has called on WIPO to step up efforts to help stakeholders address the emerging challenges facing collective management. Participants urged WIPO to strengthen the copyright infrastructure so as to support creative industries and promote social, economic and cultural development.

The Conference on Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights in Europe, held in Brussels from November 24 to 25, 2008, was organized by WIPO in association with the European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) and in cooperation with the Association of European Performers’ Organisations (AEPO-ARTIS), and the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)." [WIPO]

The European IP market needs a revolution
"The European R&D and patenting world treat intellectual property as a legal right and nothing else. Most companies and investors want that attitude to change. If it does, a number of exciting possibilities can begin to emerge.What Europe needs most is intermediaries from outside the law
A recent EPO survey revealed that 60% of European companies do not care if the inventions and technologies they find and use are patented or not (which surely helps explain the modest levels of patent registrations in many EU countries!). At the same time, however, countless European surveys have revealed that technological innovation is the priority for the EU's institutions, as well as national and regional governments, industrial associations and others; and that European companies are very keen to improve technological innovation (including R&D outsourcing) as key weapon in the global competition race.
These conflicting findings tell us a few key things about the type of IP market Europe should adopt, given that improving its existing one is an official target, as set out by EU leaders in the Lisbon Agreement."

The complete article (and the accompanying charts) in .pdf format is saved on the shared file (in the Monitoring section). A text version can be read on:
http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:3BkUjCSMfg8J:www.wipo.int/sme/en/best_practices/pdf/european_ip_market.pdf+WIPO+European+IP+Market+needs+a+revolution&hl=nl&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be [WIPO]

9/29/08

EU Commission: Enterprise and Industry Monitor - 29/08/08

Suggestions to reduce administrative burdens put on business by the EU
Published: 21/09/2007 19:17 CET Deadline: To be announced
This on-line questionnaire has been designed to register your problems and suggestions on administrative burdens. Your input will be taken into account in the preparation of EU measures reducing administrative burdens. Contributions and feedback from the Commission will be summarised in periodic reports published on the Enterprise and Industry website. [Europa]

Speech at EU conference: Reducing red tape for Europe (26/09/2008)
Vice President Günter Verheugen
Speech at EU conference: "Cutting Red Tape for Europe" [Europa]

Reducing burden for SMEs: Simplification of EU rules on mergers and divisions proposed (25/09/2008)
The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a directive that will further reduce the administrative burdens on European public limited-liability companies in the area of mergers and divisions. Under the proposal, companies would benefit from simplified requirements on reporting and on publication of draft terms. The proposal complements the two packages of "fast track" measures that were put forward by the Commission in March 2007 and April 2008. These measures will contribute to the objective of reducing administrative burdens on EU companies by 25% by the end of 2012. The total savings potential of the measures proposed so far in the area of company law, with the current proposal, is brought to 1 billion €/year. [Europa]

Open access to research results will boost business and innovation
The European Commission has launched a pilot scheme which will provide open access to research results funded under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7). The pilot includes fields worth about 20 per cent of the FP7 programme budget and will make it easier for researchers and businesses to access results in areas such as health, energy, environment and ICT. The aim is to ensure that results of publicly funded research can be disseminated and exploited as widely as possible. [Europa]

Venturing across borders to support innovative SMEs (25/09/2008)
Finding finance is one of the greatest challenges facing SMEs. The European Commission and Member States are working together to create the right conditions for cross-border venture capital funds and markets to develop. [Europa]

2009 to be the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (23/09/2008)
The European Commission welcomes the news that today the European Parliament, meeting in plenary session in Brussels, has, by adopting its report, supported the Commission proposal that 2009 be designated as the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. [Europa]

Helping entrepreneurs IMP3rove their innovation management (23/09/2008)
As its name suggests, IMP3rove helps boost the capacity of SMEs to manage innovation. This EU-funded project is developing a range of tools and practices to encourage SMEs to recognise the importance of innovation management and to apply its techniques to improve their firm’s competitiveness. The project covers a wide range of sectors, including information and communication technologies, knowledge-intensive services, biotechnology, space, and food and beverages. [Europa][Europa]

Open call for tenders - Reference No EACEA/2008/04
Study on the entrepreneurial dimension of cultural and creative industries
The aim of the study is to better understand the workings and specific needs of enterprises, particularly SMEs, in cultural and creative industries. The study must focus on environmental factors, especially regulatory, that influence the development of these enterprises, and also on the issue of access to funding and entry barriers. Particular attention must be given to research and development. Deadline: 14/10/2008 [Europa]

9/26/08

EU Commission: Information and Society 26/09/08

Telecoms Reform: Parliament vote paves way for Single Telecoms Market in Europe 24/09/08
Today the European Parliament in its plenary session voted on the European Commission's proposals of November 2007 to reform the EU Telecom rules, in place since 2003. The EU Telecoms Reform aims to create a Single EU Telecoms Market with improved rights for consumers and businesses by reinforcing competition and investment and boosting the take-up of cross-border services and wireless high-speed broadband for all. [Europa]

Broadband: Commission consults on regulatory strategy to promote high-speed Next Generation Access networks in Europe
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the regulatory principles to be applied by EU Member States to Next Generation Access broadband networks (NGA). NGA optical fibre-based networks enable bitrates several times higher than those currently available on traditional copper wire networks. NGAs are required to deliver high-definition content (such as high definition television) and interactive applications. The objective of a common regulatory framework for NGA is to foster a consistent treatment of operators in the EU and thereby ensure the necessary regulatory predictability to invest. The Commission is consulting on the basis of a draft Recommendation, addressed to the regulators in the 27 EU Member States and suggesting definitions for harmonized categories of regulated services, access conditions, rates of return and appropriate risk premiums. The public consultation will be open until 14th November 2008. The Commission will then finalise the Recommendation in the light of comments received and formally adopt it in 2009. [Europa]

Realising the potential of Europe's single market in telecoms for consumers and business
Viviane Reding: Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media
CER breakfast seminar, Brussels, 16 September 2008 [Europa]

Commission consults on how to put Europe into the lead of the transition to Web 3.0
Europe could take the lead in the next generation of the Internet. The European Commission today outlined the main steps that Europe has to take to respond to the next wave of the Information Revolution that will intensify in the coming years due to trends such as social networking, the decisive shift to on-line business services, nomadic services based on GPS and mobile TV and the growth of smart tags. The report shows that Europe is well placed to exploit these trends because of its policies to support open and pro-competitive telecom networks as well as privacy and security. A public consultation has been launched today by the Commission on the policy and private sector responses to these opportunities. The Commission report also unveils a new Broadband Performance Index (BPI) that compares national performance on key measures such as broadband speed, price, competition and coverage. Sweden and the Netherlands top this European broadband league, which complements the more traditional broadband penetration index used so far by telecoms regulators. [Europa]

Social Networking Sites: Commissioner Reding stresses their economic and societal importance for Europe 26/09/08
Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, will today give a speech on Social Networking. It will be the first public statement of the Commissioner on this subject. The speech will be given at today's Safer Internet Forum that takes place in Luxembourg and focuses on Safer Internet and children this year. Commissioner Reding will underline the importance of self-regulation and will also meet representatives of the social networking companies Myspace and Dailymotion. [Europa]

Putting Europe high on the global map of science and technology: Commission advocates new international strategy
Today, the European Commission called on governments to jointly develop a strategy for international cooperation in science and technology. It proposed a strategic framework for jointly strengthening science and technology cooperation with non-EU countries, notably in the field of Information and Communication Technologies where Europe is a strong exporter. The Commission's objective is to contribute to sustainable development worldwide while at the same time improving Europe’s competitiveness in science and technology. The Commission invites Member States to define together, rather than in isolation, priority research and technology areas where a coherent EU effort would have more impact. [Europa]

Social Networking in Europe: success and challenges
Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media
Safer Internet Forum, Luxembourg, 26 September 2008 [Europa]