24 EU Members Sign Unified Patent Court Agreement 19/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Twenty-four members of the European Union today signed the unified patent court agreement in Brussels, including Italy.
Patent Outsourcing May Harm US Economy 18/02/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments It has become routine for companies to outsource many business functions. Human resources, customer service, accounting, manufacturing of components – all have been outsourced. Now, however, a growing number of US businesses are outsourcing something new: patent licensing. And this outsourcing may hurt both the US economy and its patent system.
Monsanto, Myriad: Two US Legal Cases Shaking Biotech Industries 18/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The biotechnology industry has growing concerns over decisions to be taken this year by the United States Supreme Court in two cases involving the patenting of human genes and the exhaustion of patent rights in the context of easily reproducible products. Several areas of biotechnology could be affected by unfavourable decisions, provoking legal uncertainty and discouraging innovation, industry representatives said in a recent telephone conference. In the meantime, civil society stands fast in opposition.
Report On First Round Of Projects Of Seed Treaty Benefit-Sharing Fund 16/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture published a report providing financial and technical information on the first project portfolio of its Benefit-sharing Fund.
Obama Takes Swipe At Patent Trolls In Call For Further Reform 15/02/2013 by Kelly Burke for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment President Obama took aim yesterday at so-called patent trolls and said that further US patent reform is needed. He also called for a continued focus on protection of IP rights, but signalled a need for balance with openness.
UN Takes On Organised Crime And Fraudulent Medicines 15/02/2013 by William New and Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United Nations has become a focal point for global efforts to fight organised crime’s trafficking of fraudulent medicines that put millions of people – especially the poor – at risk. And a recent pharmaceutical industry report on such medicines recommended some solutions.
EU Unitary Patent And Court Are Here. Or Are They? 14/02/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As several countries prepare to sign an international agreement establishing an EU unified patent court, debate still rages over whether the concept of the court, and of a single EU patent, is actually feasible. Some say a unified patent in the near term is a “dead letter,” while one patent lawyer believes that while some technical issues remain, the system will spring into life in the not-too-distant future.
USPTO Finalises Rules For ‘First-Inventor-To-File’ System Switch 13/02/2013 by Kelly Burke for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today published final rules of practice implementing the “first-inventor-to-file” provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). This comes just days after a change in patent fees.
Event Explains Partnerships In Natural Products Research Through Thai Experience With Novartis 13/02/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Alongside the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) organised a side event on natural product research.
WIPO Side Event Addresses Recent Developments Related To The Nagoya Protocol 13/02/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) organised a side event to introduce the key features and recent developments of the international protocol on access and benefit-sharing of such resources.