Patent Baristas

Article 229-C of the Brazilian IP Law establishes the need of a “prior approval” by the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária – ANVISA (the Brazilian regulatory agency responsible for the approval of drugs) – for the issuance of a patent in the pharmaceutical area. This requirement was introduced by the Brazilian Law No. 10.196 of […]

Recently, Vaughan Barlow details the ramifications of the Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill (2010), currently being debated before the Australian parliament. The Bill seeks to ban the patenting of all biological material that is “identical or substantially identical to such materials as they exist in nature”. If passed, this legislation may significantly […]

It looks like The Patent Reform Act of 2011 (not to be confused with the the Patent Reform Act of 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 …) will be on the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote in the next week or so. So, is it good for American inventors or bad?  It depends on whose interest […]

In a paper published by the Washington Legal Foundation, entitled Supreme Court To Address Standard For Induced Patent Infringement, Brian Pandya of Wiley Rein LLP present an examination of Global-Tech Appliances Inc. v. SEB, S.A. The U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral argument in the case today. The Supreme Court has ruled in nine patent […]

Protecting your intellectual property from the slimy fingers of social media. I recall one particular Monday morning at the beginning of the 7th grade being sat down by our year adviser in the largest science lab to be told it was finally time to pick a topic for my individual project. Almost immediately, from nowhere, […]

Translation has traditionally been one of the more over-looked aspects of the patent and intellectual property business, but with the IP landscape continuing to grow and expand across international borders, it has become a vital part of the overall “IP workflow.” Whether it’s translating a patent application for filing in another country, patent examiners at […]

The reference International Copyright by Paul Goldstein and Bernt Hugenholtz (2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, USA; 592 pages) is a book for professionals involved with international intellectual property transactions or litigation.  This volume covers all areas of international copyright law and practice from the Berne Convention to the TRIPs Agreement. The first half of the […]

Just before Valentine’s Day, Harlequin Books is hoping to obtain a patent on the very foundation of the romantic holiday: the kiss. The book publisher announced it has submitted a patent application for the “Essential Romantic Kiss” to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  The application serial number is 61/438360, indicating it was filed […]