Transition At IP-Watch: A New Path Forward 25/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Dear Readers, After 15 years of original, independent, thoughtful, and timely reporting on global policymaking from the inside, Intellectual Property Watch (IP-Watch) is announcing today a pause on reporting services as it embarks on a transition phase to devise new strategies for future work.
Health Policy Watch – Continuing The IP-Watch Tradition Of Vibrant Health Reporting 25/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Following today’s announcement of a one-year pause on IP-Watch reporting, we invite all IP-Watch readers to sign up here for free daily, weekly or monthly news bulletins from our sister publication, Health Policy Watch, which will include health-related IP reporting as part of its portfolio. You can follow Health Policy Watch (www.healthpolicy-watch.org) on Twitter @HealthPolicyW.
Everything Is Obvious 25/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Ryan Abbott writes: For more than sixty years, “obviousness” has set the bar for patentability. Under this standard, if a hypothetical “person having ordinary skill in the art” would find an invention obvious in light of existing relevant information, then the invention cannot be patented. This skilled person is defined as a non-innovative worker with a limited knowledge-base. The more creative and informed the skilled person, the more likely an invention will be considered obvious. The standard has evolved since its introduction, and it is now on the verge of an evolutionary leap: Inventive machines are increasingly being used in research, and once the use of such machines becomes standard, the person skilled in the art should be a person using an inventive machine, or just an inventive machine. Unlike the skilled person, the inventive machine is capable of innovation and considering the entire universe of prior art. As inventive machines continue to improve, this will increasingly raise the bar to patentability, eventually rendering innovative activities obvious. The end of obviousness means the end of patents, at least as they are now.
Interview With Charles Gore, Medicines Patent Pool Executive Director 22/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Charles Gore took over the role of Executive Director at the Medicines Patent Pool in July 2018, just after its board decided to greatly expand its mandate into essential medicines. Nine months into his term, IP-Watch’s William New talked with him about his role and how the expansion is going.
Saudis Seek Alternative Energy Partners Through WIPO Green Program 20/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The government of oil-dependent Saudi Arabia has posted a series of requests for proposals for renewable energy technology partnerships via the World Intellectual Property Organization “Green” initiative that provides a marketplace for IP-protected products related to the environment.
WIPO Election: Who Will Run To Be The Next Director General? 18/03/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The decision is a year away, but there has been buzz for months around who might run in the election to be the next director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Intellectual Property Watch shares with you some of the names we’ve heard in the early going, completely unofficially and in no way intended to be exhaustive.
EPO Patent Filings Still Climbing: US Top Source Overall, Swiss Top Per Capita; China Growth Slows 12/03/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office continued its seemingly inexorable rise in patent applications, with almost all of its top 20 source countries showing growth in 2018. Nearly half of applications came from Europe, while the United States filed a record number and accounted for one-quarter of all applications, with a 2.7 percent increase over the previous year. Other countries saw significantly higher increases, though China’s rate of increase slowed, and Switzerland far and away filed the most patent applications per capita. Another notable statistic: the number of European patents granted rose 21 percent.
2019 Medicines For Europe Legal Affairs Conference 07/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Advertisement: The 2019 Medicines for Europe Legal Affairs Conference will take place, for the first time, in Amsterdam. In its 15th edition, this conference will provide participants with the opportunity to exchange views and share ideas with leading industry executives and experts, counsel and European institution officials around the latest developments in intellectual property and legal affairs concerning generic, biosimilar and value added medicines within Europe and worldwide.
Chinese IP Officials Complete Study Of UK, European IP Law 06/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A cohort of senior Chinese officials from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has graduated from a four-month training programme at the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Queen Mary University of London.
Innovation And Regulation Of Gene-Edited Vegetables: An Interview With IP Lawyer Chris Holly 05/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Chris Holly is a practicing intellectual property lawyer with extensive experience helping clients leverage IP portfolios in the agriculture, food, microbiology and biotechnology industries. Intellectual Property Watch’s David Branigan interviewed Holly to gain his perspective on the technological, regulatory and intellectual property considerations of next generation plant breeding techniques, in particular those that involve gene editing using CRISPR technology.