Pfizer to lose Viagra patent – April 29, 2010
US PHARMACEUTICAL giant Pfizer will lose its patent in Brazil June 20 that gives it exclusivity for the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court ruled on Wednesday. The 5-1 decision overturned a lower court ruling that would have given Pfizer exclusivity until June 2011, and opens the way to generic versions of the blockbuster medication to be marketed in the South American nation.
For more information visit:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_520437.html
US warns to drag countries to WTO against IP theft – April 27 2010
The Obama Administration has warned that it would not hesitate to drag those countries to the WTO dispute settlement process that fails to respect US intellectual property.
“Countries that fail to respect US intellectual property, either by failing to implement or enforce laws that adequately protect American intellectual property, or creating policies that disadvantage US right holders, put American workers and businesses at a disadvantage,” said Ron Kirk, the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
“Let’s be clear: IP theft in overseas markets is a job killer, and it’s an export killer. USTR will work with a broad range of stakeholders to vigorously pursue changes to the policies of trading partners that put us at such a disadvantage.”
For more information visit:
http://www.ptinews.com/news/627695_US-warns-to-drag-countries-to-WTO-against-IP-theft
Europe trade deal could hit Indian generic drugs – April 26, 2010
South Africa, home to 5.7 million HIV-positive people gives AIDS patients free drugs, most of which are generics that come from India. Medecins Sans Frontieres and other advocacy groups, along with Indian businesses, say the stricter intellectual property provisions Europe has proposed in a trade agreement currently in the works between the European Union and India will hinder the timely production of low-cost generic drugs in India for use across the developing world.
For more information visit:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042602025_pf.html
Ecuador Grants First Compulsory Licence, For HIV/AIDS Drug – 22 April 2010
Ecuador this month granted its first compulsory licence for a patented pharmaceutical since declaring last year that it would utilise international rules allowing it to do so. The compulsory licence was granted for ritonavir, an antiretroviral drug, on 14 April to Eskegroup SA, the local distributor for Cipla, an Indian generic pharmaceutical producer. The owner of the patent is Abbott Laboratories, a US pharmaceutical manufacturer. Eskegroup will pay royalties to Abbott for using the licence under the term of the compulsory licence. The compulsory licence has been granted for the time that was left on the patent, until 30 November 2014.
For more information visit:
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2010/04/22/ecuador-grants-first-compulsory-licence-for-hivaids-drug/
Apple countersues Kodak over digital imaging patents – April 19, 2010
After Kodak sued Apple over imaging related patents it believes are infringed upon with the iPhone, Apple has fired back with its own patent-related suit against Kodak, filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The suit, filed last week, alleges that a number of Kodak cameras are in violation of patents owned by Apple.
For more information visit: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/19/apple_countersues_kodak_over_digital_imaging_patents.html
Apple files a patent for 3D glasses – April 19th, 2010
Apple has filed a patent for 3D glasses, which would enable Apple users to see 3D films on the move. The 3D glasses would also have a slot where the Apple’s iPod or the revolutionary iPhone can be plugged in. The Apple’s 3D glasses would boast of a special “smart” lens in it, through which the display on the screen can be projected, and the user can also see it very comfortably.
For more information visit:
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/tech-news/apple-files-a-patent-for-3d-glasses_100350564.html
Calif. company to add iPad to patent infringement case – April 12
A California company that first sued Apple in 2008 over patents related to the iPhone, iPod Touch and other products, said last week that it will add the iPad to the list of infringing products. EMG sued Apple in November 2008, claiming that the Cupertino, Calf. maker of the iPhone infringed an EMG patent that provides “apparatus and method of manipulating a region on a wireless device screen for viewing, zooming and scrolling Internet content.” Apple has countersued The EMG-Apple lawsuit is currently slated to go to trial in September 2011.
For more information visit: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9175360/Calif._company_to_add_iPad_to_patent_infringement_case
Trademark spat: Intel moves court – 11 Apr 2010
The world’s leading microchip maker, Intel Corporation, has moved the Bombay High Court challenging a decision by the trademarks registry to renew the company’s trademark Intel in favour of a Mumbai-based firm. The registry had rejected Intel’s plea for registering its trademark in India and gave it to Intel Exports Corporation, a city firm owned by Prabhakar Deodhar
For more information visit:
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/intc_brief-trademark-spat-intel-moves-court-903873.html
Apple, HP, Dell, more sued over Bluetooth patent – 10 Apr 2010
FWi-Lan, the Canadian technology licensing company, has sued Apple, HP, Dell and 16 other companies over a patent related to Bluetooth technology used in mobile phones.
The Canadian company says all 19 companies are infringing on their 1996 patent, which calls for a “method for frequency sharing and frequency punchout in frequency hopping communications network.”
Wi-Lan is looking for monetary damages as well as “triple damage” for “willful” infringement. None of the companies sued have commented yet
For more information visit: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2010/04/10/apple_hp_dell_more_sued_over_bluetooth_patent
Fractus and Motorola sign a global patent licensing deal relating to antenna technology- 07 April 2010
Fractus S.A. of Barcelona, Spain announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive, worldwide patent license agreement with Motorola, Inc. including a license under all of Fractus� patents related to internal antennas and covers the sale of all Motorola products. Fractus filed recently a patent infringement case against ten cell phone manufacturers in the Eastern District of Texas.
Motorola was not a party to this litigation.
For more information visit: http://www.fractus.com/main/fractus/news_english/fractus_and_motorola_sign_a_global_patent_licensing/
IBM breaks patent pledge to FOSS community – 07 April 2010
IBM has broken a promise it made in 2005 to FOSS developers regarding the use of 500 patents it owns, pledging to allow the free use of these patents by those who developed these genres of software.
In response to an anti-trust complaint filed against it by TurboHercules, a Paris-based company trying to monetise a open source mainframe emulator known as Hercules, IBM has written to the company, pointing out a list of 106 patents which it claims TurboHercules is infringing. There are also 67 pending patents in the list. Two of the 500 patents which IBM promised would be freely available to FOSS practitioners are in the list.
For more information visit:
http://www.itwire.com/business-it-news/open-source/38109-ibm-breaks-patent-pledge-to-foss-community
Kylin Therapeutics gets patent – April 7, 2010
Kylin Therapeutics Inc. announced Tuesday that it has been issued a patent that represents new ground in the field of leveraging the power of RNA and a natural process called RNA interference (RNAi) to directly target, or turn off, disease-causing genes.
For more information visit:
http://www.jconline.com/article/20100407/BUSINESS/4070333
