USPTO Will Speed Reviews Of Green Tech Patents 07/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office today announced a pilot programme to accelerate examination of some environmental technology patent applications to speed commercialisation. The US-oriented initiative was announced by US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who oversees the patent office, as an entry to the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen. The Obama administration has […]
EU Patent Regime Approved: Includes EU Patents Court, EU Patent, Coordination 04/12/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Union governments have unanimously approved a roadmap for a single European patent regime. The system is seen as key to making patenting less expensive and more efficient for European inventors, but the devil, as always, is in the details, stakeholders say.
New Classification Scheme For Clean Energy Patents To Facilitate Technology Transfer 02/12/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Technology transfer is essential to the mitigation of climate change but empirical data on the subject is scarce, according to panellists at a parallel event to the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting. An initiative has been launched by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) to identify potential barriers to the transfer of clean technologies. Preliminary outcomes of the project were presented yesterday. One of those outcomes is a new classification scheme.
Pharmaceutical Patents In The Pool 01/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Several non-governmental organisations used the World Aids Day to promote the patent pool initiative underway at UNITAID that is expected by proponents to enhance access to second line HIV/AIDS drugs. Action Against AIDS, a German NGO, released thousands of balloons in capsule form over Berlin while handing over 28,000 to representatives of Abbott, Bristol-Meyer-Squibb and […]
Pharmaceutical Patent Pools Seen As A Life And Death Matter In Kenya 30/11/2009 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI – At the headquarters of UNITAID and other groups seeking to boost access to HIV/AIDS medicine, the notion of a patent pool where drug companies would combine their intellectual property is seen as an important way to drive down drug costs. In the Kenyan capital Nairobi, home of AIDS activist Nelson Otwoma, the patent pool is a matter of life and death.
Bilski Decision Likely To Narrow Patentable Subject Matter In US, Panel Says 24/11/2009 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For years, the United States has taken an expansive position on the types of inventions that are patentable. Software, medical tests, and business methods – for example – have all been granted patents. But that is likely to change when the US Supreme Court hands down its decision in Bilski v. Kappos, according to most members of a 19 November panel, Patentable Subject Matter After the Bilski Oral Argument, hosted by American University Law School and the Federal Circuit Bar Association.
Trilateral Patent Offices To Launch New Work Sharing Projects 13/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Patent Prosecution Highway, an information sharing network between certain patent offices, has recently had its potential expanded thanks to a new agreement between two of the “trilateral” IP offices, according to the group’s site [pdf]. In addition to the EPO, the trilateral group includes the Japan Patent Office and the United States Patent and […]
China Draft Law Proposes New Patent Standards 13/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new set of patent regulations involving standards has been proposed by China’s Standardization Administration, which represents the country to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and which organises national and international standardisation projects, according to GTW Associates, a US-based international standards consultancy. The original documents, available here [pdf] and here, have not been officially […]
Governance Sought For Climate Tech As Bill Gates Applies For Patent 05/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments BARCELONA – As a global climate change convention is being discussed in Barcelona, the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology scheduled a hearing on 5 November about the implications of large-scale climate intervention, also called geoengineering. Geoengineering is the “intentional, large-scale plans to modify the climate and related system,” according to Diana […]
US Court Opens Door To Challenges Of Gene Patenting 03/11/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment US federal district court ruled yesterday that patents on human genes can be challenged in court. This unlocks a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT). The lawsuit was filed against the patenting of two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer. The lawsuit targeted the […]