US Supreme Court Reins In Reach Of US Patents 15/05/2007 by Sarah Stirland for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Sarah Lai Stirland for Intellectual Property Watch The United States Supreme Court in late April reined in another patent appeals court ruling it deemed overly-expansive. The high court ruled that software companies liable for infringing a patent in the United States cannot at the same time be held liable by American courts for the same activities outside of US borders. “Foreign law alone, not United States law, currently governs the manufacture and sale of components of patented inventions in foreign countries,” wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg on behalf of three of her colleagues, Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and David Souter.
The WIPO View On Enforcement, Idris And Development Agenda 14/05/2007 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Wolfgang Starein is the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) official with primary responsibility for enforcement of intellectual property rights. In a series of recent interviews with Intellectual Property Watch, Starein talked about WIPO’s enforcement agenda for the coming year, a January 2007 enforcement conference, access to knowledge, WIPO’s relationship to the World Trade Organization (WTO) […]
IP Issues May Spark Debate At World Health Assembly 10/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Intellectual property rights issues could play a significant role in the annual World Health Assembly which begins next week. While not the most prominent topic for the assembly, IP is expected to arise in discussions on malaria, avian influenza and in the “mid-term” progress report of a contested working group […]
USPTO Cautious In Interpretation Of Supreme Court Ruling On Patents 09/05/2007 by Sarah Stirland for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Sarah Lai Stirland for Intellectual Property Watch The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a preliminary memorandum that instructed its examiners to interpret a landmark Supreme Court ruling conservatively – even as the wider community in the field of US patent law expect the opinion to shake up longstanding rules that determine when an idea is too obvious to be granted a patent. The office also formed an experts’ group on the issue.
Brazil Takes Steps To Import Cheaper AIDS Drug Under Trade Law 07/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The government of Brazil has issued a license that will allow the importation of cheaper versions of a patented HIV/AIDS drug after negotiations failed to bring about agreement on price reductions with Merck, the US company holding the patent. Merck said it was “profoundly disappointed,” as Brazil’s action sparked a […]
La Chine en tête des pays en développement en matière de standards et de logiciels libres 04/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par William New BEIJING – Des pays en développement de premier plan tels que la Chine, le Brésil, l’Inde et l’Afrique du Sud redoublent d’efforts, dans la mesure de leur puissance économique grandissante, pour influencer l’établissement des standards internationaux. De son côté, la Chine a de plus en plus recours aux logiciels libres. Le traitement […]
Réactions aux plaintes américaines contre la Chine à l’OMC 04/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Lors d’une récente conférence, un représentant américain a exposé certains des motifs qui ont poussé les Etats-Unis à déposer plainte contre la Chine devant l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) pour dénoncer le non-respect des droits de propriété intellectuelle et les obstacles posés à l’importation de produits culturels. La position des […]
Grupo de expertos en derechos de autor de la UE busca soluciones para los obstáculos a la digitalización 04/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Dugie Standeford para Intellectual Property Watch Para que los planes de la Comisión Europea de digitalizar y volver accesible el legado cultural de Europa tengan éxito, primero deben resolverse los problemas relacionados con la preservación digital, las obras huérfanas y los materiales agotados, señalaron expertos en derechos de autor en un informe presentado el […]
Musungu, Marchant Team Up; US Sends IP Attachés To China, Russia 04/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen What is next for the former director of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office and the former head of the South Centre intellectual property programme; who is temporarily acting in the role of lead on intellectual property issues at the South Centre; who are the US officials being appointed IP attachés around the world; who has launched a new global trade programme, and who is taking over the helm at the international seed industry? All of this and more in the updated Intellectual Property Watch People column.
US Investigators In Geneva To Review US Balance On IP, Public Health 03/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A team from the independent investigative arm of the United States Congress visited Geneva last week, interviewing insiders from the private sector, non-governmental and international organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding how the United States is balancing public health, intellectual property and market access, sources said. The visit […]