US Supreme Court Ruling Worries Patent Experts 25/04/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A recent US Supreme Court patent law decision surprised few observers – other than those steeped in patent law. The high court’s ruling in SCA Hygiene Prods. Aktiebolag v. First Quality Baby Prods stunned and dismayed many patent experts, because the decision will benefit patent trolls and other unscrupulous patent owners, at the expense of companies just trying to make and sell their products. On the positive side, however, the ruling brings US patent law more in line with Europe’s patent law.
Internet Of Things Is The Next Big Thing In Patents, And EPO Says It’s Ready For It 21/04/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The European Patent Office has a “tradition of looking forwards” to anticipate patenting trends, and it sees the Internet of Things (IoT) as the next challenge, Chief Economist Yann Ménière said at 20 April OxFirst webinar on the office’s contribution to the coming world of billions of connected objects.
Google’s Waymo v. Uber Lawsuit Reflects High-Stakes IP War In Hot Driverless Car Sector 17/04/2017 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Google’s Waymo claims Uber, an app-based taxi service, stole technology for a critical component for driverless cars, as the one of the world’s most-powerful tech titans wages a fierce legal battle to protect its intellectual property in an emerging area of the automotive industry.
Industry Group Nears Completion Of List Of Geographical Indications Worldwide 14/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A private sector project to identify and compile all geographical indications in the world in a database is expected to be completed in the fall. The compilation is aimed at helping intellectual property professionals, trademark owners, and other users in their decision-making, and will be freely available, according to the organization for an international Geographical Indications Network (oriGIn). There is currently no international register of GIs.
Strong Application Of GIs May Be Detrimental To Generic Products, Speakers Say 14/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The protection of geographical indications could impede the ability of long-term producers to continue using what they consider as being generic names, according to several speakers at an event last month at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The discussion is also ongoing at the World Trade Organization in the context of barriers to trade. The side event focused on the case of danbo cheese, a Danish cheese manufactured in several countries, particularly in Uruguay.
The Deepening Debate Over Vaccines And Antimicrobial Resistance Involves IP 12/04/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the looming threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is growing pressure to use vaccines because they obviate the need to prescribe antibiotics in the first place.
Looking Long-Term, Lisbon System Members Reach Into Wallets To Bail System Out 07/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pressed to come up with solutions to eliminate the deficit of a World Intellectual Property Organization treaty protecting appellations of origins, members reached into their pocket and came up with close to two-thirds of the needed sum of US$1.5 million.
Public-Private Coalition’s High-Profile Delinkage Policy For Emerging Vaccines 04/04/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment It’s early February in Tchaourou district, Borgou in Benin, and a pregnant woman is admitted to hospital. Her premature baby is born by caesarean section but she dies a day later on February 12th. It turns out she had Lassa fever, a deadly viral haemorrhagic disease. But that’s only discovered after the baby is discharged from hospital and taken to northern Togo. The newborn also becomes ill and is taken to hospital for treatment.
WIPO Committee Moves Ahead On Country Names, Tech Designs, Not GIs 03/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Establishing a work programme on geographical indications at the World Intellectual Property Organization last week proved elusive. A tentative text and time frame by the chair of the committee on trademark and geographical indications (GIs) issued on the last day of the committee did not meet the approval of some member states. The committee did agree on a set of tasks for the WIPO secretariat on the protection of country names against registration as trademarks, and on the protection of new technological designs, such as icons and type fonts.
Special Report: Will The Internet Of Things Need New Patenting/Licensing Strategies? 03/04/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Internet of Things (IoT), which will connect billions of devices in coming years, may offer incredible opportunities for businesses and consumers but it also raises significant intellectual property issues, IP lawyers, mobile operators and others say. One key question is whether patenting and licensing strategies will have to change to adapt to the myriad standards being developed and patents being sought for IoT products and services, and for the coming rollout of 5G technologies.