Health Advocates Eye Proposed Changes To Patent Law In South Africa 20/08/2012 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments CAPE TOWN – South African health activists and pharmaceutical industry stakeholders are keeping close watch over the government’s attempts to amend patent laws, which activists claim compromise the ability of the country’s poor majority to access cheaper generic medicines.
Isolated DNA Declared Patentable By US Court Of Appeals 17/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit released a decision today (16 August) on the patentability of genes in yet another twist to the so-called Myriad case. At stake was the patentability of two human genes associated with hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Myriad Genetics’ patents were challenged by the Association for Molecular Pathology.
WHO Hopes For “Domino Effect” Of Australian Ruling In Favour Of Tobacco Plain Packaging 15/08/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The director of the World Health Organization, the global public health body, today vigorously applauded the ruling by Australia’s high court upholding the Australian government’s upcoming ban on trademarked labels on tobacco packages. The case pits international trade interests against public health interests, and the WHO said it hopes today’s ruling will have a “domino effect” for many other countries considering such bans.
Promotion: Upcoming Events, Courses On Top IP Issues 08/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment From Informa: 9th Annual Pharmaceutical Law Academy – 18th – 19th September, London, UK The essential route to a comprehensive update on the key legal challenges affecting the pharmaceutical industry Why attend Pharmaceutical Law Academy 2012? 1. For those new to the industry to gain an excellent grounding in the legal and commercial challenges faced in the pharmaceutical sector in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. 2. For those who are familiar with the sector, the course serves as a practical update and guidance on the hot legal issues and topics in pharmaceutical law. Find more information here. Quote your VIP Code: FKW82293IPWE to receive a 10% discount Intellectual Property Law in the Middle East – 24th – 25th September, Dubai, UAE Hear insights from The Ministry of Economy, Starwood Hotels, Pepsi-Cola, Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance, Al Tamimi & Co and many more! PLUS! Pre-conference workshop: What IP is worth having in the Middle East? Sunday 23rd September 2012, Dubai Are you up to date with the latest IP developments? Are you able to maintain your competitive advantage and manage your IP assets successfully in the Middle East? In the first event of its kind, Intellectual Property Law in the Middle East Conference is the most crucial forum, enabling you to meet your needs to stay abreast with fundamental trade mark, copyright and patent developments in the Middle East. Find more information here. Quote your VIP Code: FKW82296IPWE to receive a 10% discount Protecting the Media – 20th September 2012, Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge IBC Legal Conferences is proud to announce its 18th annual Protecting the Media event highlighting key legal developments and updates for broadcast, print and new media. 1. Gain cutting-edge updates on the most crucial developments in media law 2. Debate current contentious topics and complex regulations 3. Review the significance of recent cases and their practical implications on your everyday work 4. Discuss best practice and practical challenges to drive investigative journalism 5. Network with peers and leading experts 6. Benefit from hot-off-the press updates on privacy, defamation, data protection and more 7. Embrace practical tools to prepare for problem areas Find more information here. Quote your VIP Code: FKW82292IPWE to receive a 10% discount IP & Competition Law – 25 September 2012, Sheraton Brussels Hotel, Belgium IBC Legal is proud to announce its in-depth IP & Competition Law forum. Key representatives from the European Commission, national competition authorities, private practice and in-house will debate the key legal practical challenges to help you master the challenging interface between competition law and IP law. By keeping abreast of the developments in this complex and fast-moving area of law, you will be able to meet the expectations of competition authorities, exceed the needs of your clients and master the practical challenges in your everyday work. Find more information here. Quote your VIP Code: FKW82275IPWE to receive a 10% discount Online Brand Protection Forum – 24 – 25 October 2012, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel – Tower of London, UK This conference will gather together expert brand representatives from leading organisations with the intention of highlighting, examining and discussing the latest challenges to asserting, maintaining & defending brand presence online How do you police the ever expanding virtual market? What can you do to prevent losing control of your brand? How can you stay on top of perennial maladies such as counterfeiting and trademark infringement? What can be done to counter rogue and deceptive websites? Which policies should be put in place to guard against domain name squatting, phishing, digital piracy and traffic diversion? Find more information here. Quote your VIP Code: FKW82327IPWE to receive a 10% discount Distance Learning Courses: Computer and Communications Law – from Queen Mary, University of London Apply for this distinctive programme of online, distance-learning courses leading to the award of the Queen Mary, University of London LLM, or Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Computer and Communications Law. Gain expertise in the legal regimes governing the supply and use of computer and communications technology. Find more information here. UK, EU & US Copyright Law from King’s College London Apply for the 2012-2013 Distance Learning Programme leading to a Postgraduate Diploma/Masters in UK, EU & US Copyright Law. The programme aims to provide the professional with an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the general principles of copyright law, mainly focusing on the law in the United Kingdom, the principles of United States copyright law and the major ‘copyright’ Directives of the European Community. Find more information here.
A Look At India’s Key Pharmaceutical Patent Case 07/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This month, the Indian Supreme Court will hear final arguments in a challenge by the pharmaceutical company Novartis against the Indian Patent Office’s rejection of a patent for the leukemia drug, Glivec. The Court’s ruling will have profound implications for pharmaceutical patenting in India, and more generally how countries with newly introduced pharmaceutical patent regimes […]
Form Over Function – The ECJ Rules On Software Copyright 06/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Seldom does a fact bear repeating as frequently as the maxim, “There is no copyright in ideas”. And despite the regularity with which this fundamental principle of copyright law is cited, its application remains a bone of contention, Cobus Jooste writes.
Divergent Approaches To Copyright Reform Emerge In Europe 03/08/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Two very different views of copyright reform emerged this week, one from a report commissioned by the UK government, the other from a French citizens’ advocacy group. The former envisions an intricately linked system of digital rights exchanges and databases to streamline copyright licensing, the latter broad, “non-market” sharing of protected works between individuals, among other things. Whether either approach is feasible remains to be seen, and, as always, the devil’s in the details, lawyers say.
In The Spirit Of Fair Play: A Primer On IP And The Olympics 02/08/2012 by Daria Kim for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Mapping out intellectual property issues related to the Olympic Games may itself constitute an engaging exercise: trademark and design protection of the Olympic indicia; data protection of Games results; personality and publicity rights associated with sports celebrities; character rights subsisting in the Olympic mascots; unfair competition law and other legislative means to address ambush marketing and secure the interests of the Games’ exclusive sponsors. The latter appears essential for the purpose of securing the means for staging the Games and sustaining the Olympic Movement.