Category Regional Policy

India: Balancing Public And Private Interests In The Intellectual Property Regime

NEW DELHI - In this month, there have been two court orders in India that underscore the complexities underlying the country’s intellectual property regime. Last Friday (14 September), the Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) which is responsible for hearing appeals on patent applications, rejected a petition by German pharma major Bayer AG, seeking a stay on an order of India’s Controller of Patents granting a compulsory licence (CL) to Indian generic drug maker Natco Pharma Limited, for a drug used to treat liver and kidney cancer.

America Invents Act: Another Piece Of Patent Reform Puzzle Falls Into Place

Another phase of historic patent reform goes into effect next week in the United States, as officials from the US Patent and Trademark Office tour the country, answering questions from stakeholders about forthcoming changes in patent law, thanks to the America Invents Act (AIA). The next batch of rules the USPTO is implementing for the AIA go into effect 16 September.

European Parliament Passes Orphan Works Directive

The European Parliament today passed a “directive on certain permitted uses of orphan works” with 531 in favour versus 65 opposed (11 abstentions). The directive will be a good first step toward allowing the digitisation and making available to the public of older copyrighted works that are buried in the archives and libraries of the Union because no rights holder can be located, the lead rapporteur Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg (S&D) and many supportive MEPs said.

Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. & Canada), Inc. Annual Meeting – Special Savings for IP-Watch Readers!

Don't miss the LES (USA & Canada) Annual Meeting, October 14-17 in Toronto: The must-attend licensing event for professionals across all industry sectors!


LES calls the meeting, focused on "Connecting & Collaborating," your best opportunity this year to learn from and interact with the leading IP, licensing and business development professionals in the industry. 



Over 3-and-a-half days, the Plenary Sessions will help you delve into a range of cutting-edge issues, including the convergence of life sciences and high tech; a debate over the alleged patent bubble; and a robust, judge-led discussion about the Canadian and US patent environments. Targeted Mini-Plenary Sessions will drill down to timely topics of interest in each of the industry sectors, and you'll have the opportunity to select from any of over 40 interactive cross-sector workshops tailored to your interests.

As a bonus, get a sneak peek of the Meeting with LES' new podcast series, including exclusive interviews with Keynote Speaker Dr. Eric Topol, Judges Paul Michel and Roger Hughes, and Annual Meeting Chairs Tim Lowman and Gary Fedorochko. Listen now.

IP-Watch readers save $100! Use promo code IPW12 when registering for your discount.

Public Library Must Provide Accessible E-Readers Under US Law

The United States Justice Department and the National Federation of the Blind have reached a settlement with the Sacramento, California Public Library Authority to fix violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act caused by using Barnes & Noble NOOK electronic reader devices in a patron lending programme. The readers excluded persons who are blind or have other disabilities requiring features such as text-to-speech or access through audio or tactile options. The library will no longer purchase exclusionary devices and has agreed to acquire a set of accessible ones, as well as train staff on the requirements of the disabilities law.

Revolving Door: US Copyright General Counsel Joins Music Industry

Continuing the revolving door tradition between the United States government intellectual property and trade officials and the industries they represent, David Carson, general counsel of the US Copyright Office, will join the top international music industry association in September. Carson will assume a role of influencing policymakers in drafting legislation to protect and promote copyright. His is latest in a series of moves blurring US industry and government lines, and extending to the UN.

Novartis Challenge To India Patent Law Put Off To 11 September

The Supreme Court of India today did not get to an agenda item involving a challenge to India's patent law by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, and it is now scheduled to come up on 11 September. The case is considered to have potential widespread impact on the production of lower priced generic medicines.