European Patent System, Court Top Priority Under Swedish EU Presidency 01/07/2009 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment COPENHAGEN – A top priority for Sweden as it takes over the EU presidency on 1 July is to boost negotiations on a Community patent system and a European Patent Court, the government says. Its work programme also emphasises the need for “effective protection of intellectual property rights” and lists a conference on enforcement. Officials, however, deny that enforcement is among the presidency’s main IP focus. And the Pirate Party is concerned.
King Of Pop’s Leanings Patented 30/06/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In addition to writing catchy pop-tunes and executing gravity-defying dance moves, the late Michael Jackson apparently had an inventive streak. It has come to light that the singer holds a patent on shoes that help create “an impressive visual effect” in one of his famous dance moves. The patent on a “system for […]
Prevent Patents Inhibiting Knowledge Diffusion For Green Technology, EU Told 26/06/2009 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Stringent intellectual property rules could hamper the spread of technology needed to fight climate change, an advisor to European Union policy-makers has warned.
EFF: Keeping Patents Off Public Domain, Opening ACTA 18/06/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office has announced that it will revoke an illegitimate patent on internet subdomains that was seen as potentially threatening to the public domain. The US patent, held by a company called Hoshiko, claimed to cover the method of automatically assigning internet subdomains, like “action.eff.org” for the parent domain “eff.org.” […]
US Supreme Court To Rule On Business Method Patents 03/06/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Supreme Court, the nation’s highest court, has decided to review a case involving patenting of business methods, which could have a significant impact on the future of patenting. On 30 October 2008, the US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals – often called the country’s “patent court” – issued its decision in In […]
US Patent Reform Prospects Unclear; First-To-File Questioned 18/05/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Patent reform may be chugging along in the United States Congress, but so far, with the Senate soon to be consumed with what could be a contentious Supreme Court nomination fight, and with President Obama still lacking a new director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, some are questioning whether reform will actually happen this year. In addition, a key “first-to-file” provision in the US bill to harmonise with other countries may be more appearance than substance.
UK Patent Office To Fast-Track Green Inventions 14/05/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Kingdom will now fast-track patent applications for inventions that could have a significant impact on combatting climate change. The “green” patent initiative was launched on 12 May by David Lammy, UK Minister for Intellectual Property. It will enable UK businesses working in green technologies to get patent rights faster, according to the UK […]
WIPO Patent Cooperation Committee To Proceed With Study With Constraints 12/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members on Friday overcame anxiety about overreaching of the UN body and agreed to study the Patent Cooperation Treaty, including proposals aimed at improving the efficiency and implementation of the treaty, taking into account some members’ concerns.
WIPO Pushes Members On Patent Treaty Compliance; US Wants PCT II 04/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The secretariat of the World Intellectual Property Organization is working this week to gain support for a proposal to get countries to better implement the UN organisation’s core revenue-generating instrument, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). But some developing countries are wary of the proposed changes, even as the United States is calling for a new PCT.
Gurry To Judges: We Must Work For Changes To Global Patent Treaty 22/04/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The Patent Cooperation Treaty is not performing up to par and is not helping enough to alleviate the stress on the global patent system, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said here Tuesday. The backlog theme was echoed by judges from across the globe who said their dockets are getting fuller with IP-related cases.