Category IP-Watch Briefs

Infojustice.org: Australia Commits To Overhaul Of Copyright Act

From infojustice.org: [Australian Digital Alliance] It has been a big week for Australian Copyright. On Thursday the Attorney-General, the Hon George Brandis QC, tabled the long-anticipated final report from the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) Copyright and the Digital Economy inquiry. This inquiry was charged with determining if copyright exceptions and limitations were working in the digital age. The conclusion was that reform was needed.

WHO, IFRC Tap Swiss Federal Funds For New Buildings

The World Health Organization and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent have received approval of the Swiss Federal Council to receive millions of Swiss francs in loans for the purpose of planning new buildings in Geneva.

DNDi Director: ‘Reality Check’ Needed For Neglected Diseases

Research and development into neglected diseases - those predominately affecting poorer populations and for which there is little commercial incentive - is undergoing "remarkable advances and rude set-backs," says Bernard Pécoul, executive director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Now, governments need to show stronger leadership in bringing about long-term solutions, he said.

Alert: Pharma IPR 2014 Conference In Mumbai, 26-28 February

Dear Subscribers,

CPhI's 3rd Annual Pharma IPR 2014 conference to take place from 26-28 February, 2014 in Mumbai, India will have techno-legal experts from over 10+ regions speaking on the recent case studies on global Pharma and Biopharma patent laws.

Among them, Jeffery Alan Hovden, Partner, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP from US will be speaking on critical developments in US pharma patent law in the year 2013 which have affected pharma and biopharma industry. He will also share best strategies on how Indian generic-drug and biologics enterprises need to go forward with their US-related projects.

Some of the critical concerns he is planning to address include:

  • Which pharmaceutical and diagnostic compounds and processes can even obtain a US patent?
  • Whether the new, cheap and fast patent-challenge procedures are right for Indian companies in the life-sciences area?
  • How to avoid paying the attorney fees for the other side in US litigation and indeed, how an Indian company might turn the tables and have the other side pay the company’s attorney fees?

You can view his insights on "US Patent Law in 2013: Winds of Change" by clicking here.

To optimise interactions with the audience, he and other global techno-legal experts would also be available in query handling sessions as well as one-on-one meetings, to discuss your concerns related to the US patent system. Click here to go through the detailed programme agenda.

You can read more about the conference speakers here.
To be a part of this exclusive event, please contact the organisers at +91 (22) 6172 7001 / conferences-india@ubm.com, or register online and take advantage of the special offers for you as you are our subscribers.

P.S. You may find one of his earlier presentations on “From Small to Big: Some useful points in the coming shift from customary drugs to biologics” interesting - View the presentation here

EPO Appeals Board Upholds Ruling Limiting Stem Cell Patentability

A European Patent Office (EPO) Boards of Appeal this week handed down a verdict in the area of stem cell patenting that could provide further guidance on what is patentable under the European Patent Convention (EPC) when it comes to biotechnology.

“No Patents On Seeds” Serves EPO Patent Objection And Free Pepper Soup

32 farmer, breeder and environmental organisations from 26 countries gathered by the “no-patents-on-seeds” alliance today filed an opposition against a patent on an insect-resistant sweet pepper at the European Patent Office in Munich.

MSF: AstraZeneca Pullout Of Neglected Disease R&D Proof System Broken

Following news reports that pharmaceutical producer AstraZeneca will end its spending on early stage research and development for tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases, Médecins Sans Frontières issued a statement saying the move is further proof that substantive change to the global pharmaceutical R&D system is needed.