Patent Baristas

The IPKat posted a nice summary of the Tercica Inc v Avecia Ltd et al. case involving summary judgment motions on the validity of a patent having Swiss-type claims. The action concerned two applications for summary judgment in linked proceedings. In the first, Tercica, a licensee under a Genentech patent for a growth hormone, sued […]

In IPO arena, things finally seem to be percolating. First, Reliant Pharmaceuticals has filed to raise an IPO worth $300 million in a public offering. The New Jersey company holds rights to four marketed brands, and has three drugs in late-stage clinical trials. Two of its three late-stage compounds have recently received approval from the […]

The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to lift limits on embryonic stem cell research, which could speed cures for diseases. The House approved the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act by a 238-194 vote, short of the two-thirds majority (290 votes) that would be needed to override a veto by President Bush — who has […]

Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that a District Court judge committed a “clear error” when he concluded that Allergan’s patent on Acular was valid because it wasn’t an obvious variation of earlier known compounds. The Fed Circuit, saying there were necessary factors that weren’t considered, ordered him to […]

A recent Wall Street Journal article profiled the wrangling between publishers of scientific journal and academics over so-called open-access journals. That is, many researchers would love to abandon expensive journals from publishers in favor of web-based journals and databases that offer free research articles. The WSJ depicted this as “a raging Internet-era debate about who […]

Jeremy Richey brings us Blawg Review #7 at his Blawg heralding: “Wisdom is the chief and leader: next follows temperance; and from the union of these two with courage springs justice. These four virtues take precedence in the class of divine goods.” –Plato Check out the review for a nice summary of this past week’s […]

The Washington Post reported that House backers of legislation that would loosen restrictions imposed by President Bush in 2001 say they have 201 co-sponsors and enough private commitments to put them at or over the 218 votes needed to pass. See our earlier report here. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 would permit […]

You may not have heard but a new Star Wars episode opened today in theatres. Yes, after more than 25 years, “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” is certainly whipping up a frenzy among the public. ABCNews reported that Die-Hard fans of the epic paid $500 to attend the premiere of Episode […]