WIPO Patent Committee Searching For Common Ground For Future Discussions 29/07/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment After a slow start this week due to late approval of the agenda, the World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee is now sailing through the proposed schedule. However, previous positions remain unchanged and the core issue of the session is to find common ground on the future work of the committee.
New Agenda Adopted For WIPO Committee On Patent Law 27/07/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on the law of patents got a slow start this morning as delegates did not agree on the draft agenda submitted by the secretariat for this session. After informal consultations during the morning, WIPO members accepted a draft revised agenda proposed by the committee chair.
WIPO Patent Law Committee Seeks To Overcome North-South Divide On Priorities 27/07/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee meets this week with a work programme reflecting strong interests that are not equally shared by member states. Developed countries in the past have focused on ways to share work between patent offices, while developing countries would favour more time being spent on limitations and exceptions to patent rights, in particular in the area of health.
Is The European Unitary Patent System On Its Way To A Tepid Start? 17/07/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For nearly two decades, the European Union has pondered the completion of a unitary patent system (UP) and a Unitary Patent Court (UPC). But even after the European Court of Justice has ruled the UP/UPC agreement to be constitutional, users, including some big ones, remain cautious.
US High Court Removes Economics From Patent Law 08/07/2015 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Economics be damned. So said the US Supreme Court on 22 June, when it reaffirmed a 50 year-old ruling that limits how patent owners can license their patents. The court conceded the limit does not make economic sense, but asserted that patent law has its own logic. That could change many aspects of patent law, according to experts.
EPO Director Says Keep Patent Harmonisation Multilateral; Defends Staff Moves 16/06/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European Patent Office President Benoît Batistelli, in an exchange with the Legal Affairs Committee (Juri) of the European Parliament today (15 June), recommended against including harmonisation of patent policy in bilateral negotiations like the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). He also defended his office’s actions on heated staff matters. But he did not address a breaking allegation of EPO surveillance of computers in its building.
WIPO-WEF: Pairing Developing Country Inventors With Patent Attorneys 15/06/2015 by Elena Bourtchouladze for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Under the new Inventor Assistance Program established jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Economic Forum, inventors and small businesses with limited financial means coming from a developing country will be able to seek pro bono legal assistance of patent attorneys to obtain patent protection.
Report: European Patent Office Tapped Computers 11/06/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A story in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung says, according to an unofficial translation, that it has obtained an internal report that shows the European Patent Office (EPO) tapped two general use computers it had identified as a source for leaked information. The news comes on the eve of a meeting of the EPO president with the European Parliament.
US Approves New Loophole In Patent Protection 08/06/2015 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals clearly likes patents. Over the years, the court has issued a long string of rulings that greatly strengthened the rights of patent owners. But several weeks ago, in Akamai Technologies v. Limelight Networks, the court reluctantly created a major loophole in patent protection.
Report: Patent Activity At A High But Decline In Scientific Research Could Show Innovation Slowing 04/06/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Patent activity is currently at an all-time high, with statistics showing large growth across industry sectors in the volume of patents being filed. However, the production of scientific literature is declining, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters.