UN Climate Report Envisions Modified TRIPS As Governments Seek Progress

Scientists and bureaucrats meeting this week on climate change and weather data are struggling to move global discussion past general declarations of recognition and commitment to address environmental change. One bump under the rug at the United Nations conference is rights over environmental technologies, and a new UN report released Tuesday calls for investment and a focus on flexibilities in and possible changes to intellectual property rights rules to help developing countries access information and technologies.

Digital Library Europeana Said To Be Europe’s Answer to Google Books Settlement

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.

Informal UN Climate Talks Indicate Continued Divergence On IP Issues

With 15 scheduled negotiating days left before a meeting in Copenhagen meant to set the global sustainability agenda for the next several years, the head of the United Nations agency tasked with coordinating the global effort to fight climate change has issued an urgent call for more speed toward convergence on all parts of the upcoming climate change agreement, especially on IP-related text - lest the entire thing fall through.

EU, US Bristle As Drug Innovators Pay To Delay New Generics

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 High Court Rejects Bayer Complaint For Patent Linkage

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.

Law Professors Debate Bilski

A potentially paradigm-shifting legal case that could restrict the granting of business method patents in the United States, Bilski v. Doll has attracted the attention of policy makers world-wide, who expect its outcome to influence the international patent system (IPW,…

美国最高法院复审比尔斯基案可能震动专利制度

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。