Author Interview: “Emerging Markets And The World Patent Order” 21/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment “Emerging Markets and the World Patent Order” is a new book that looks at patent system implementation in emerging market and developing countries, and the response to this implementation by Europe and the United States. Florida State University Law Prof. Frederick Abbott, one of the organisers and editors of the book, recently discussed the book with Intellectual Property Watch
Reforms To Spanish Patent Law Promote Filings At National Level 14/05/2014 by Angela Garcia Medina for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 11 April 2014, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a draft law reforming the current Spanish Patent Law of 1986. The reform aims to reconcile the regulation with the international framework, strengthen the Spanish patent system and make it easier and faster to obtain solid patent titles in Spain. It contains a few notable changes.
What’s Next For Patent Trolls After US Supreme Court? More Risk, For Sure 30/04/2014 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Supreme Court yesterday issued two rulings that were bad news for patent assertion entities, or “patent trolls”. Thanks to these decisions, trolls and other patentees could be on the hook for millions in fees whenever they bring frivolous patent infringement suits.
Special Report: One Year On At The Medicines Patent Pool: Interview With Greg Perry 24/04/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Greg Perry has been executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for over a year now, since January 2013. Under his guidance, MPP shares that it has launched a “series of new licensing agreements and negotiations with key patent holders and generic medicines companies.” Intellectual Property Watch sat down with Perry recently to discuss why the MPP is so important as an alternative business model, the context of the MPP, changes in the global approach to the issue of access, and how the MPP fits within the Geneva context.
20 Years Of TRIPS: Max Planck Launches Declaration On Patent Protection 16/04/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition has launched a Declaration on Patent Protection with the aim to “clarify some of the regulatory options states still retain under international law, in particular the TRIPS Agreement,” which turns 20 years old this year.
USPTO Creates Office Of International Patent Cooperation 03/04/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the creation of a new Office of International Patent Cooperation (OIPC), aimed at implementation of US patent cooperation efforts and helping to harmonise patent systems for the benefit of businesses and others.
US Corporate IP Counsel Hear Latest Updates On Patent System 24/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – “This is a very, very exciting time be in patent law,” Drew Hirshfeld, deputy commissioner for patent examination policy at the US Patent and Trademark Office, told a group of intellectual property lawyers last week. In his keynote address to the 19-20 March Corporate IP Counsel meeting in Manhattan, Hirshfeld and a range of private sector speakers laid out a picture of a highly dynamic field, with legal and business opportunities and challenges changing every day.
European Patent Office Staff Calls Strike; President Battistelli Reacts 19/03/2014 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments European Patent Office (EPO) employees on 13 March approved seven office-wide strike days, starting on 21 March. The move follows an increasingly tense stand-off between the Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO) and President Benoît Battistelli over, as a union document put it, timely access to justice, freedom of speech and freedom of association. The deteriorating relationship between employees and office officials prompted one French lawmaker to ask government ministers to rethink their country’s support for Battistelli’s reappointment. If unresolved, the labour issues could end up subjecting the EPO to closer scrutiny as it prepares to administer the EU unitary patent, one source close to the situation said.
Patent Filing Cost Reduction Coming For Small Companies In Japan 14/03/2014 by Akiko Uehara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Japanese small and medium-sized venture companies and micro enterprises will receive a reduction on patent filing costs under the national “Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act” as of 1 April.
EU Unified Patent Court Judicial Training Centre Launches 13/03/2014 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Union Unified Patent Court agreement has not yet been fully ratified but plans are on track to ensure that the judges who staff it are of the highest quality, speakers said at today’s opening ceremony for the judicial training centre in Budapest, Hungary. Future UPC users still have some concerns about the new system, but are giving it a generally good reception, the chairman of the UPC Preparatory Committee said.