...A. Overview of Intellectual Property (Book 24-30) 1. TRADE SECRETS (Outline pgs 3-11) ▪ Trade secret laws are State law doctrines that protect against the misappropriation of certain confidential information. o There is no federal statute ▪ A form of private IP law under which creators establish contractual limitation or build legal fences that afford protection from misappropriation. ELEMENTS: a. The information must be Secret. a. Relative, not absolute, secrecy is required. b. The owner must take Reasonable step to maintain secrecy. a. Once a trade secret is disclosed, protection is lost. c. There is some economic or competitive advantage to the owner. i. Misappropriation of Trade Secret: 1) Where the secrets were obtained by theft or other improper means. 2) Where they were used or disclosed by the D in violation of a confidential relationship. ▪ Trade secret does not prevent competitors from “reverse engineering” which is permitted. 2. PATENTS (Outline pgs 12- 31) a. 5 Requirements: 1) patentable subject matter (g.15) 2) utility (pg.16) 3) Description & Enablement (pg.17) 4) novelty & Statutory bar (pg.19) 5) non-obviousness...
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...Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) Legal Studies Paper No. 2005-18 August 2005 Facilitating Compulsory Licensing under TRIPS in Response to the AIDS Crisis in Developing Countries Professor Hans Henrik Lidgard Professor Jeffery Atik This paper can be downloaded without charge from the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) electronic library at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=794228 FACILITATING COMPULSORY LICENSING UNDER TRIPS IN RESPONSE TO THE AIDS CRISIS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Hans Henrik Lidgard and Jeffery Atik1 Abstract The AIDS crisis in the developing world has become a priority for international collaboration. The challenge is to find a balance between the acknowledged need to protect large investments expended in developing new medicines and the goal of providing essential medicines to poor countries. Patent protection must prevent undue infringement yet at the same time allow solutions to humanitarian needs. Is compulsory licensing a way out? TRIPS originally restricted compulsory manufacturing licenses to the country experiencing a public health emergency – which was of little utility to countries lacking manufacturing capacity. The Doha agreement effectively permits twinned compulsory licensing – a distribution and use license in countries experiencing a public health emergency and a manufacturing-for-export license in countries possessing appropriate manufacturing capacity. These changes make possible, at least in principle, a greater source of supply of generic pharmaceuticals...
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...Nonobviousness Standard Produces Excessive Patent Grants Gregory Mandel∗ The dominant current perception in patent law is that the core requirement of nonobviousness is applied too leniently, resulting in a proliferation of patents on trivial inventions that actually retard technological innovation in the long run. This Article reveals that the common wisdom is only half correct. The nonobviousness standard is not too low, but both too high and too low. It is indeterminate. Three principal factors produce nonobviousness indeterminacy: a failure to identify the quantum of innovation necessary to satisfy the standard, a failure to define the baseline level of ordinary skill against which to measure an innovation, and the epistemic infeasibility of requiring a technologically lay decision maker to judge from the perspective of a more highly trained and educated person of ordinary skill in the art. This Article introduces a mathematical model of innovation and patenting to analyze the effects of nonobviousness indeterminacy. Based on the model, indeterminacy in nonobviousness decisions has several unexpected consequences. First, indeterminacy results in an excessive total number of patent grants, and in many patent grants on obvious inventions. Second, indeterminacy leads to too many patent applications on obvious inventions and too few applications on non-obvious inventions. ∗ Professor of Law, Temple University — Beasley School of Law. I am grateful for comments on earlier drafts...
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...Innovation.org, “Patent protection in the United States gives inventors the exclusive right to sell an invention for up to 20 years before others may copy and sell it.” (page 3) Most pharmaceutical patents only last for 10 years however. This protects an inventor’s rights and allows them to profit from their idea before others are able to copy it. In the case of pharmaceutical companies, patents prohibit other companies from making generic versions of a drug that is still under patent. Pharmaceutical companies can extend their patents by seeking new patents on specific compounds such as single versions of drugs which can exist in both “left-handed” and “right-handed” forms. (Apotex) Every time a new patent is granted, the patent time starts over. This process is known as “evergreening” and can extend the amount of time a drug is under a patent for years. Pharmaceutical companies invest huge amounts of money into developing new drugs. Without patents other companies would be able to copy their drug without investing all of the money into research. Then they could probably sell the same drug at a lower price since they do not have to cover the cost of researching it. Without patent protection companies would not be willing to invest the substantial amounts of money into research if they knew that another company could copy their product. So more drugs are probably being created because a company knows that they can protect their invention with a patent which also protects...
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...August 2011 I realized recently that we may be able to solve part of the patent problem without waiting for the government. I've never been 100% sure whether patents help or hinder technological progress. When I was a kid I thought they helped. I thought they protected inventors from having their ideas stolen by big companies. Maybe that was truer in the past, when more things were physical. But regardless of whether patents are in general a good thing, there do seem to be bad ways of using them. And since bad uses of patents seem to be increasing, there is an increasing call for patent reform. The problem with patent reform is that it has to go through the government. That tends to be slow. But recently I realized we can also attack the problem downstream. As well as pinching off the stream of patents at the point where they're issued, we may in some cases be able to pinch it off at the point where they're used. One way of using patents that clearly does not encourage innovation is when established companies with bad products use patents to suppress small competitors with good products. This is the type of abuse we may be able to decrease without having to go through the government. The way to do it is to get the companies that are above pulling this sort of trick to pledge publicly not to. Then the ones that won't make such a pledge will be very conspicuous. Potential employees won't want to work for them. And investors, too, will be able to see that they're the...
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...contaminated because he was unable to distinguish between the contaminated seed and his own. However, the courts believed that it was his business to know that he was planting and growing this genetically modified seed and found for the plaintiff. They stated that the crops were indeed his; however, when using a product that achieves monetary gain, the user must pay to use it, even if it is only a small part of the product. Although he did not have to pay out for damages, he did have to be out a sizable amount in court fees and had to burn all seeds (Gibbons, 2012) In this paper, I will discuss the probable reasons as to why Monsanto believes there is an increase of crop production, how the government involves itself with matters such a patents on genetics, how farmers feel about growing genetically modified plants, and the impact of the anti-biotech campaigns. Lastly, I will give a personal opinion on my belief as to where Monsanto stands ethically and also how the public perceived Monsanto after the case. Increased Crop Production When I was a child, I used to visit my uncle’s cotton farm. Their home was located next to the fields and during the time that they plowed the fields to get them ready...
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...Intellectual Property, Patent Infringement, Presumption of Validity, Burden of Proof Ken Intellectual Property, Patent Infringement, Presumption of Validity, Burden of Proof According to the case, Microsoft Corp. v. i4i Limited Partnership and Infrastructures for Information, Inc. (10-290) (2011), Microsoft was sued by the software entity i4i Limited Partnership and Infrastructures for Information Inc. The company alleged that i4i’s patent was infringed by Microsoft Word’s XML processing and editing functionalities (Microsoft Corp. v. i4i, 2011). Meanwhile, Microsoft put forth a counter lawsuit, challenging the patent registered by i4i was invalid under the on-sale bar provisions because the technology was sold more than one year before the patent was formally applied (Microsoft Corp. v. i4i, 2011). The software entity i4i Limited Partnership and Infrastructures for Information Inc. (henceforth referred to as "i4i"), is a computer software company that specializes in designing and selling computer software. In June 1994, i4i applied for a patent covering its innovative technology that enables the manipulation of the structure and content of an electronic document. This technology is commonly known as "markup language," and more specifically allows the placing of tags to facilitate the manipulation. One specific markup language, known as XML, allows users to customize their own tags. The overall entity of the document’s structure and tags is known as the...
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...article named “Decoding the use of Gene Patents” in The American Magazine. The article explained his thought about why human genes can be patents. However, gene patenting is an important thing that...
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...have established monopolies have a significant advantage to any company that tries to enter their market. Often times the cost of entering such markets blocks almost any firm from trying. As we will see, sometimes companies use patents as a way to block competitors from gaining market share. In an April 11, 2011 article written by John Scheller and Keneth Albridge III titled “The Patent Monopoly – more than a right to exclude,” they discussed how Google is using recently acquired patents in order to block competitors in the emerging cell phone technology market. The article says that many entrepreneurs often associate the value of patent rights with the ability to protect the patent owners position in a given market. They do this by demanding royalty payments from competitors or excluding them from the market altogether. Patents can also create value for firms by opening doors to other markets. Google recently acquired a family of Nortel patents for $900 million. Google has been attempting for several years to break into the mobile telecom market. This market is a highly contested and patent cluttered market that makes entry even for powerhouse companies like Google a difficult task. Barriers from entry have included receiving end of patent infringement lawsuits or paying enormous royalties to use a...
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...SCOPE OF STANDARD ESSENTIAL PATENTS AND THER RELATION WITH FRAND (FAIR , REASONABLE AND NON DISCRIMINATORY TERMS) SUBMITTED BY : ALIFAH AHMAD TABLE OF CONTENT Topic | Page No. | 1. Introduction | 3 | 2. Litigation relating to SEP | 5 | 3. Standard Essential Patent and their relevance to FRAND | 9 | 4. USA’s and EU’s approach to Standard Essential Patents | 11 | 5. India’s approach to Standard Essential Patents | 12 | 6. Conclusion | 12 | INTRODUCTION Indian jurisprudence on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) licensing practices for standard-essential patents (SEPs) is at a relatively nascent stage. Unlike U.S. and EU courts, which have dealt with cases concerning calculating a FRAND royalty for a considerable time, Indian courts and the Indian antitrust authority—the Competition Commission of India (CCI)—have only just begun to decide such cases. In its initial orders in the first two antitrust complaints concerning SEPs, the CCI seemed to favor using the smallest salable patent-practicing component (SSPPC) as the royalty base to determine a FRAND royalty. However, in the short time since the CCI’s orders, the Delhi High Court has rendered contrary decisions in two SEP infringement suits. The Delhi High Court’s decisions use the value of the downstream product as a royalty base and rely on comparable licenses to determine a FRAND royalty. The Delhi High Court’s decisions are not only consistent with sound economic principles...
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...If one was able to put their own price on a gene patent, then a lot more clinical research would be easily accessible, thus leading to less expensive testing and a lower amount of deaths. Film producer, Michael Crichton, who wrote “Patenting Life” and an economist in the Bureau Of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission, John E. Calfee, who wrote “ Decoding The Use Of Gene Patents,” discuss the use of gene patents and its negative effects on medical research. Crichton and Calfee both disagree on the handling of gene patents. Each source points out the rising medical costs, monopoly effects and impeding the advancement of future research. Gene patents are shown to gradually increase in price. This can be seen when Crichton talks about how a test for breast cancer which could be done for $1,000 has dramatically increased to $3,000, stating “ Why? Because the holder of the gene can charge whatever he wants and does”(Crichton 441). Believing that everyone should be able to test on the gene patent not solely the company who owns it. On the other hand, Calfee argues that not...
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...Should Genes be Patented? Patenting genetic discoveries have proven to be controversial throughout the years. There are now patents that are associated with many of the genes within the human genome. Patents are issued to encourage innovation and protect those investing in genetic research the opportunity to maximize profit. During this period, another party can use the discovery to develop a product only with a licensing agreement; however, basic researchers can use it freely. Some argue that this period of exclusivity fosters commercial development of the discovery by discouraging competition. Yet the patenting of genes is not without controversy. Some reject the entire concept of patenting, while others have objections to the patenting of only specific types of DNA sequences. It has also been argued that patents inhibit or limit biomedical research all together. The patenting of human genetic material raises complex social, ethical, and policy issues such as the potential for discrimination in access to healthcare services or employment, and the implications for ongoing research and access to services. The patentability of inventions concerning human genetic material is determined by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). To obtain a patent, the invention must meet four criteria. The invention must be “useful” in a practical sense, “novel” (not known or used before filing), “nonobvious” (not an improvement easily made by someone trained in the relevant area), and the...
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...cancer. Patents for these genes are held by Myriad Genetics, an American company, which has granted Genetic Technologies exclusive rights to BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in Australia. In 2002-3, and again in 2008, Genetic Technologies sought to enforce its rights in relation to the BRCA genes in Australia, including through demands that public hospitals and other laboratories cease to offer the tests. Genetic Technologies later withdrew these demands. However, the episode prompted the establishment of a Senate Community Affairs Inquiry into Gene Patents in 2008 (following an earlier report from the Australian Law Reform Commission in 2004), as well as legal action initiated by Cancer Voices Australia and Yvonne D’Arcy. In 2010, a private member’s bill was introduced into the Senate (the Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill 2010) to prevent the patenting of human genes and biological materials existing in nature. A Senate Inquiry was also established to consider this bill. The Senate Inquiry into Gene Patenting reported in 2010 and made 16 recommendations, none of which specifically aimed to ban gene patenting. In 2011, the Inquiry into the Patent Amendment Bill recommended that the bill should not be passed, noting that some of the issues raised in the Inquiry would be addressed by the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Raising the Bar) Act 2012, which was passed in March 2012. It made amendments that aimed to, among other things, raise patent quality and...
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...Disadvantages of software Patents 1. Furthering Monopoly Software patents let companies such as Oracle buy up patents on technology created by others and then launch lawsuit after lawsuit as a way to generate revenue. This is what it means to be a "patent troll," and it's of course motivated by the huge sums that have been awarded by the courts in the past. It also puts the advantage squarely in the hands of the industry's monoliths, which are the ones with deep enough pockets to acquire and assert all that intellectual property. 2. Hindering Innovation By their very definition, patents reduce the sharing of new ideas. In the software industry--which relies on just that kind of diffusion to spur further innovation--that's particularly destructive. Software patents frequently have very broad or vague boundaries, making it highly unclear where the patented piece of a program begins and ends. Frequently, software patents cover what can be considered the equivalent of a sequence of notes in a piece of music; imagine if that were to happen in the music world! It has also been historically very difficult for patent offices to judge patent quality, or to realize when a patent application is too broad or covers something trivial. 3. Cost and Time Patents are extremely expensive, and the examination process takes a very long time. Not only are the costs extremely high to determine if a particular piece of software infringes any issued patents--thereby reducing the funds companies...
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...obeying the other party. Ellen Hoen, pharmaceutical law expert, told the story of Nelson Otwama a Kenyan social scientist and his 3 year old son who both contracted HIV in 2002. Nelson immediately went to get treatment for the disease but was told that the cost for the treatment was $12,000.00. This made it impossible for Nelson to get the treatment he needed to live with the disease. While people in North America and Europe were living healthy lives with HIV, Nelson was not rich enough to get treatment. Antiretroviral drugs or ARV’s cost about 12,000.00 per patient per year and the patents on those drugs were held by Western pharmaceutical companies that did not want to make the patents available. Since the patents did not exist everywhere there was an opportunity for Indian pharmaceutical companies to start to produce generic versions of the ARV’s at low costs and made them available. Within a year the price of ARV’s came down from $10,000.00 to $350.00 per patient per year. As of today those same ARV’s are 60.00 per patient per year. Making the ARV’s affordable has saved lives, however some things have changed as of late. Currently, due to World Trade Organization, all countries are obligated to provide patents for pharmaceuticals that last at least 20 years and the practice of patents have changed. This means that there could be another drug crisis unless something is done to impede upon the patents that the pharmaceutical companies...
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