Original news and analysis on international IP policy
A recent lawsuit involving patents on human genes related to cancer brought against the United States patent office, a biotechnology company and a foundation has attracted international attention to the issue of gene patenting, and on 27 August a group of influential associations voiced their opposition to such patents.
Undeterred by two previous decisions by Indian authorities holding that under Indian Patent Law, its leukaemia drug - Gleevec is not patentable, Novartis now wants to take the fight to the Indian Supreme Court. Meanwhile, also this week, sources say Indian authorities rejected applications for patents on two HIV/AIDS drugs, opening the way for cheaper generic versions to be developed and marketed.
Google’s settlement in the United States of copyright infringement claims by authors and book publishers faces strong opposition from European publishers. The deal does not apply to books outside the US and one Google official has suggested the need for a similar service in Europe. Could digital library Europeana be the solution? A 28 August European Commission policy statement addressed that concern and others.
Authorities in the European Union and the United States have recently taken a tougher stance against reverse payments - patent settlements whereby, according to many competition experts, dominant drug companies buy off potential rivals.
Indian generics manufacturer Cipla can get marketing approval for its generic cancer treatment Soranib, the Delhi High Court ruled Tuesday, and the Indian drug regulatory authority does not have to check its patent status first. The court this week rejected a complaint by drug multinational Bayer against the Union of India, the Drug Controller General of India and generic drug producer Cipla.
Bayer sought a court order requiring DCGI to consider the patent status of kidney cancer drug, sorafenib tosylate (sold under the brand name Nexavar), before granting marketing approval for a generic version of the drug.
At issue was whether it is legitimate to link a potential violation of IP rights to processes regulating a drug’s entry onto the market that are generally based on drug quality, efficacy and safety.
去年10月，一家美国上诉法院极大地改变了美国的专利法，从而在就何种发明能够受到专利保护这一问题上采取的做法更接近其他国家的标准。联邦上诉巡回法庭（Federal Circuit Court of Appeals，经常被称为美国的“专利法庭”）撤销了自己基本判例，并大幅减少了符合专利保护各类方法和程序。该判决使数千个专利前途未卜，其中就包括许多商业方法专利和金融方法专利。
El pasado mes de octubre, un tribunal de apelación de los Estados Unidos modificó drásticamente la ley de patentes, acercando así las normas de este país a las de otros en lo relativo a las invenciones que se pueden patentar. El Tribunal de Apelación del Circuito Federal (apodado a menudo el “tribunal de patentes” de los EE.UU) anuló uno de sus precedentes fundamentales y redujo fuertemente los tipos de métodos y procesos que pueden ser objeto de protección mediante patentes. La decisión dejó en entredicho a miles de patentes, entre ellas muchas relacionadas con métodos comerciales y métodos financieros.
En octobre dernier, aux États-Unis, l’arrêt rendu par une cour d’appel a bouleversé la loi fédérale sur les brevets, en comblant le fossé qui la séparait des législations d’autres pays sur les critères de brevetabilité des inventions. La Cour d’appel du tribunal fédéral (Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, parfois surnommée « tribunal de la propriété intellectuelle ») a annulé sa propre décision qui faisait école jusque là. Elle a, de plus, drastiquement limité les types de méthodes et de procédés brevetables. L’arrêt de la cour a remis en question des milliers de brevets, portant pour un grand nombre d'entre eux sur des méthodes commerciales et des procédés financiers.
A group of US congressional members have sent a letter to US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke calling for a temporary arrangement between the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (which manages technical aspects…
NEW YORK - Patent lawyers from financial services companies and other firms this week said they are hopeful that change at the US Patent and Trademark Office will bring solutions to their concerns with the business method patents, application backlogs, patent quality problems, transparency and other issues.