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.
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.
President Obama Calls For Dramatic Increase In R&D, Major Trade Deals 13/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In the annual state of the union speech, newly re-elected US President Obama outlined numerous initiatives aimed at strengthening the United States inwardly, but he also kept his eye on international competitiveness. For instance, he called for a massive increase in research and development, as well as a focus on education and skills, manufacturing, science and innovation, and international trade agreements with Asia and Europe.
Report Finds Average US Patent Cost US$ 374,000 In 2012 12/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new quarterly report on patent sales by technology shows that in 2012 the median price paid for issued US patents was US$ 221,000, while the average price paid was US$ 374,000.
Intellectual Ventures Sues Internet Providers For DSL Patent Infringement 12/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Intellectual Ventures, a patent holding company, has filed a patent infringement suit against DSL providers AT&T, CenturyLink and Windstream Communications.
Letter Shows US Pressure On Global Fund For Compulsory Licensing, Generics 12/02/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A 2011 letter from the top Republican on the United States Senate Finance Committee condemned efforts by the Global Fund to train public health officials on the use of flexibilities to the patent system contained in international trade rules. The letter, which also attacked the purchase of generic medicines over brand-name drugs, came just months before the US helped remove the head of the Global Fund, ultimately replacing him with an American official.
Year Ahead In IP, Biotech, Biodiversity: A Trio Fuelling Debates, Opportunities In 2013 12/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The coming year promises to be very interesting at the intersection of intellectual property with biotechnology and biodiversity. Patentability of human genes in the United States, of conventionally bred plants in Europe, plant breeders’ rights and the management of regulatory authorisations when patents on genetic traits expire, the future of genetically modified organisms in developing countries, and the usual resistance they are meeting from civil society and famers’ groups are some of the issues that will continue to feed debates – and potentially create opportunities – in 2013.
US Justice Department Reaches Settlement In E-Books Case 08/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Department of Justice today announced it has reached a settlement with Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC, which does business as Macmillan, for allegedly conspiring with Apple Inc. to raise e-book prices.
Fate Of Google Book Search Still To Come, Expert Says 08/02/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A few years ago, internet giant Google had the idea to digitise tens of millions of the world’s books and ran into legal trouble with the publishers and authors of some of them. The cases have moved through many stages, but the ultimate fate of the massive amounts of knowledge it could have made available to the public is still to come, says a Washington, DC lawyer who has followed the case closely for years.
Expiring GMO Patents Raise Regulatory Issues; Private Sector Takes Measures 05/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A number of patents on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture will expire in the coming years and this could be a problem for the biotechnology industry in terms of regulatory authorisations. A private sector initiative has recently been launched to address the issue.