At EPO, Patent Oppositions To High-Priced Gilead Hepatitis C Drug Pile Up 27/02/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment According to a public health advocacy group, there are now as many as 10 oppositions filed at the European Patent Office against the Gilead company’s patent on sofosbuvir, a treatment for hepatitis C. The group has compiled a table showing the filings with links to the documents.
UK To Revamp Law On “Groundless Threats” Of Infringement Suits 26/02/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Recommendations for key reforms to laws against “groundless threats” of infringement lawsuits in patent, trademark and design rights cases won general UK government backing today. IP lawyers said the government’s stance will go far toward resolving longstanding concerns.
Researchers Find Liberalised Google Keywords Not Harmful To Trademarks 22/02/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A Swiss-US team of researchers is challenging the “belief that the granting of property rights is necessary in order to overcome information asymmetries and other market failures in consumer markets,” a core concept in the fight over trademark protection on the internet.
Neuchâtel Event Looks At Swiss Innovation, Competitiveness 20/02/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEUCHATEL – Switzerland is among the best students of global innovation. It continues to score at the top of global indexes and reports on innovation and competitiveness. At a seminar last week at the University of Neuchâtel, speakers gave their views on that success.
The Year In Biotech/Biodiversity: Patentability, Plant Varieties, Treaty Implementation 16/02/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Intellectual property-related developments expected this year could profoundly impact the fields of biotechnology and biodiversity. In addition, ongoing issues relating to plant variety protection and public health are expected to be at the forefront of discussions this year. The following is a look at many of the top issues to come.
Stakeholders Give Opposing Views On GIs In EU-US Trade Agreement 12/02/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Geographical indications – product names deriving from geographical origin or certain characteristics – are increasingly on the table when trade negotiations include Europeans, who are trying to recover names long used around the world. In a recent stakeholder event for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), both sides of the GI issue made their case.
UK Defence Science And Tech Lab To Offer IP Royalty-Free Licences 11/02/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has announced it will participate in a plan for sharing some of its intellectual property for research royalty-free, making it the first United Kingdom government agency to do so.
The Challenge Of Complying (Or Not) With Communication Laws Online 28/01/2015 by James Cote for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Is it possible to fully comply with all the laws surrounding online communication? Michel Jaccard, founder of id est avocats says, “The answer is, ‘no.’” Speaking last week at the Club Suisse de la Presse, Jaccard made the case that when it comes to the online world, we should look beyond legal compliance and start thinking more strategically.
The Copyright Manifesto: How The EU Should Support Innovation And Creativity Through Copyright Reform 22/01/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Teresa Hackett writes: “Copyright divide in numbers”, the graph on the first page of the newly launched ‘The Copyright Manifesto. How the European Union should Support Innovation and Creativity through Copyright Reform’ tells a story. In an illustration of the results of the European Union’s (EU) 2014 consultation on copyright, publishers, authors and collective management organizations express strong support for the current system, while end users and institutional users (such as libraries) are strongly in favour of copyright reform. So if copyright is supposed to benefit everyone, the copyright system sure isn’t working for everyone.
Year Ahead: Copyright Reform, EPO Governance, Trade Secrets Among Top European IP Issues In 2015 19/01/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Review, and possibly reform, of the European Union copyright system tops the list of “hot” European intellectual property issues this year. The new European Commission has made modernising copyright rules a major priority, while fresh debate has broken out over the need for levies on digital copying devices to remunerate rights holders. Meanwhile ongoing unrest between European Patent Office (EPO) staff and management looks likely to continue, as do efforts to finalise the unitary European patent and Unified Patent Court. EU legislation to protect trade secrets could be adopted and trademark law updated. In addition, several important IP-related decisions are expected from the European Court of Justice (ECJ).