Patent Baristas

Does Patent Reform Need Congressional Action? The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) has put out a memo trying to debunk what it sees as the myth that patent reform no longer requires congressional action.  From CPF:   “The Court’s ability to effect needed changes is limited because it is restricted by the language Congress enacted more […]

Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, et al., a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and joined by the Public Patent Foundation, challenges the patentability of gene patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer.  Along with claims that the patents are illegal, the group […]

A federal district court said that the ACLU et al. suit challenging the patentability of gene patents can go forward. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), and a whole host of others have filed a lawsuit challenging patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer claiming that […]

In recent years, India has witnessed rapid changes in its patenting landscape as a result of the growing economic activity and reforms (related to patents).  In May 2008, Evalueserve, a global research and analytics firm, investigated the patenting landscape in India , focusing on the patent applications published over 2005–07. Some of the key findings […]

The NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA) tries to promote science, safety, and ethics in biotechnology through advancement of knowledge, enhancement of public understanding, and development of public policies. The OBA manages the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS), which advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the broad range […]

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos has officially rescinded the highly hated regulations that would have limited patented claims and continuations — with an emphasis on the fact that they were proposed by the previous administration. The regulations were published in the Federal Register in August 2007, […]

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of Roche in a longstanding patent-infringement dispute with Stanford University regarding ownership of PCR-based test kits for the HIV virus. Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University et al. v. Roche Molecular Systems et al. (09 2008-1509, -1510). Earlier, a district […]

David Kappos, Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, made a series of proposals to bring change to the examiner count system – the process for determining the time a patent examiner has to complete a patent examination and how much credit is given for each stage of an examination. The proposal was developed […]