Word: european
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...There's an urgency to harmonize Europe's laws with America's. We are just getting to the stage where what is still considered 'contemporary culture' has started to fall into the public domain. Even the Beatles' recordings will begin to come out of European copyright in 2012 under the current law," says Mark Owen, intellectual-property partner at the London-based law firm Harbottle & Lewis. "The differing laws are causing tensions, particularly on the Internet, where it's unclear how they should be enforced." (See pictures of the Beatles in Liverpool, England...
...European Parliament is currently studying whether it should extend from 50 to 95 years the copyright term covering sound recordings, thereby bringing European law in line with that of the U.S. But opponents of extending copyright say shorter copyright periods benefit consumers by eliminating hidden costs - European publishers are able to sell books at a much cheaper price, for instance, if they are not required to pay a licensing fee. Consumer groups accuse European politicians of swooning for the handful of crooners currently lobbying for copyright extension. French singer Johnny Hallyday - a close friend of French President Nicolas Sarkozy...
...debate is unlikely to end anytime soon. Four committees in the European Parliament are currently discussing the issue. A resolution is not expected until well into this year at the earliest - not soon enough to end the controversy over Popeye. With the pugnacious sailor in the public domain, intellectual-property lawyer Owen predicts battles between publishing houses and King Features over whether Popeye and his Thimble Theatre pals are bound by trademark. But if European publishers decide it's worth the risk to try to resurrect the hero of the Great Depression, who other than King Features could blame them...
...French government officials are fighting mad following Thursday's announcement by U.S. trade authorities that Washington is tripling the tariff on Roquefort cheese imports from France. The famous blue-veined delicacy is among scores of European products targeted by a 100% levy the U.S. imposed in 1999 in retaliation for the European Union's longstanding ban on hormone-treated American beef on the grounds that it may be unsafe to eat. But unlike other goods on the list - truffles, ham, chocolate, mineral water, sausages, and certain fruits and vegetables - Roquefort is the only one whose tariffs is to be boosted...
...poulets before they've hatched. First off, Roquefort sales to the U.S. represent just 2% - or 400 tons - of the total Roguefort market. The 1998 World Trade Organization ruling that permits Washington to retaliate over the beef ban also limits that sanction to less than $116.8 million in annual European imports to the U.S. - not exactly a sum capable of forcing trade policy capitulation. And that original decision was undermined by a WTO revision last October, which accepted previously disputed scientific evidence from the E.U. on the health risks of hormone-treated beef. (See pictures of the perfect steak...