MSF: India’s Bayer-Natco Compulsory Licence Case Set For 3 Sept. 21/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A hearing in a case involving a challenge by Bayer pharmaceutical company of India’s compulsory licence aimed at making a cancer drug more affordable is moved to 3 September, public health advocacy group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced today.
Health Advocates Eye Proposed Changes To Patent Law In South Africa 20/08/2012 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments CAPE TOWN – South African health activists and pharmaceutical industry stakeholders are keeping close watch over the government’s attempts to amend patent laws, which activists claim compromise the ability of the country’s poor majority to access cheaper generic medicines.
Isolated DNA Declared Patentable By US Court Of Appeals 17/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit released a decision today (16 August) on the patentability of genes in yet another twist to the so-called Myriad case. At stake was the patentability of two human genes associated with hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Myriad Genetics’ patents were challenged by the Association for Molecular Pathology.
A Look At India’s Key Pharmaceutical Patent Case 07/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This month, the Indian Supreme Court will hear final arguments in a challenge by the pharmaceutical company Novartis against the Indian Patent Office’s rejection of a patent for the leukemia drug, Glivec. The Court’s ruling will have profound implications for pharmaceutical patenting in India, and more generally how countries with newly introduced pharmaceutical patent regimes […]
Form Over Function – The ECJ Rules On Software Copyright 06/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Seldom does a fact bear repeating as frequently as the maxim, “There is no copyright in ideas”. And despite the regularity with which this fundamental principle of copyright law is cited, its application remains a bone of contention, Cobus Jooste writes.
Divergent Approaches To Copyright Reform Emerge In Europe 03/08/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Two very different views of copyright reform emerged this week, one from a report commissioned by the UK government, the other from a French citizens’ advocacy group. The former envisions an intricately linked system of digital rights exchanges and databases to streamline copyright licensing, the latter broad, “non-market” sharing of protected works between individuals, among other things. Whether either approach is feasible remains to be seen, and, as always, the devil’s in the details, lawyers say.
In The Spirit Of Fair Play: A Primer On IP And The Olympics 02/08/2012 by Daria Kim for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Mapping out intellectual property issues related to the Olympic Games may itself constitute an engaging exercise: trademark and design protection of the Olympic indicia; data protection of Games results; personality and publicity rights associated with sports celebrities; character rights subsisting in the Olympic mascots; unfair competition law and other legislative means to address ambush marketing and secure the interests of the Games’ exclusive sponsors. The latter appears essential for the purpose of securing the means for staging the Games and sustaining the Olympic Movement.
Global Pharma Calls On ICANN To Act Against Online Counterfeits 28/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The international pharmaceutical industry this week released a policy statement targeting counterfeit medicines on the internet. Among the recommendations was for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to join the fight.
Innovation And The Law: Some Lessons From The Patent Wars 27/07/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments They’ve been at each other’s throats for three years, and there’s no end in sight. Over two dozen businesses involved with smartphones and tablet computers are suing one another for patent infringement in numerous lawsuits around the world. These patent wars have cost the companies billions of dollars, clogged the courts, and prevented consumers from buying some devices they want with features they prefer. Is this really the best way to promote innovation and competition?
European Commission Seeks Public Input On Preservation Of The Open Internet 23/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Commission (EC) announced today that it would begin a period of public consultation on the subject of internet neutrality.