Category Patents/Designs/Trade Secrets

IP In Biotechnology In Need Of A New Start, Experts Say

By Catherine Saez
PARIS - Biotechnology is in dire need of a change to its business model, restoring trust among all actors and building partnerships, according to participants in a recent seminar here. After nearly thirty years, the industry still is not making profits, the field seems to be running out of steam, and controversies over patents in the health and agriculture areas have influenced public opinion, they said.

EU Favours Disclosure Of Computer Patents Before Standards Are Set

By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch
BRUSSELS - Computer firms may be required to divulge details of patents they hold before technology standards are set, a senior European Commission official has said.

More than a year after the European Court of Justice ruled that Microsoft was abusing its dominant position in order to prevent its products being compatible with programmes developed by rivals, Brussels policymakers are continuing to assess what implications the judgment has for intellectual property and antitrust law.

Team Of Experts Form WHO Working Group On IP And Neglected Diseases

By Kaitlin Mara The World Health Organization has released a long-awaited list of high-level experts tasked with finding innovative funding mechanisms for needed medical research on neglected diseases. The list largely contains governmental and intergovernmental representatives, and first reactions to…

US Elections, Global Economy Are Major Challenges For US IP Association

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - The American Intellectual Property Law Association faces profound political, legislative and administrative challenges in coming months, new Executive Director Q. Todd Dickinson said in a 13 November interview in The Hague. Key among them are major changes at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the new Obama administration, the fate of patent reform in the new US Congress, and the impact, if any, of the global economic downturn on patents, he said.