The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, has introduced draft amendments to the Patents Rules, 2003. These drafts detail various changes proposed by the Central Government, anchored on section 159 of the Patents Act, 1970. The government seeks to amend the …
Nigeria sues Tobacco company: The Nigerian government has filed a lawsuit in the High Court of Abuja against tobacco companies British-American Tobacco, Philip Morris International and International Tobacco Ltd. It has sought US $42.4 billion in reparations for damages the companies have caused to Nigerians' health. The government has demanded …
lipitor patent revoked: Pfizer Inc said on October 29 a German court had revoked the drugmaker's patent covering the active ingredient in its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. The decision resulted from a patent challenge by generic manufacturers Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd and Basics GmbH, company sources said. The patent expires in …
the verdict is heavy on symbolism. The Madras High Court dismissed a petition by pharmaceutical giant Novartis challenging section 3d of the Indian Patent (Amendments) Act 2005. Human rights groups said it will help ensure access of drugs to the poor. The company said the ruling will adversely affect innovations …
Attempts to patent inappropriate innovations in the country have met with opposition. In May 2006, drug major Glaxo filed a patent application in Kolkata for hiv drug Combivir, which was a combination of Lamivudine and Zidovudine. The company withdrew the application following opposition from human rights organisations like the Indian …
microsoft has accused Linux of patent violations. On may 14, 2007, Brad Smith, general counsel for Microsoft, told Fortune magazine that Linux, the open source operating system and other related softwares, have violated 235 of its patents. Microsoft gave a breakdown: 42 within the Linux kernel
ranbaxy in norway: The Norwegian Appeals Court ruled that Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd's generic version of Lipitor did not infringe Pfizer Inc's patents. Ranbaxy says they will now be able to market their products in Norway. Pfizer markets its cholesterol-lowering drug Atorvastatin as Lipitor. The court ruled that three Pfizer patents …
Nuchem is a company in Delhi that develops and sells water/effluent treatment technologies, chemicals and laminated panels. Sudev Barar, its owner, has adopted a Linux-based open-source computing environment. He tells Sopan Joshi why it makes sense for industry to adopt open-source software On adoption of computers I joined the family …
contamination of groundwater by arsenic, a well-known phenomenon, has now shown up in a different form. Scientists working in the Bengal delta have found that rice grown with or boiled in contaminated water has arsenic residues that are poisoning people in affected areas. The scientists have devised a rice cooker …
Indian drug manufacturer Ranbaxy is contesting us multinational Pfizer in 17 countries. It is filing for the right to manufacture generic versions of the world's bestselling drug Lipitor and a combination drug Caduet, in the us. But it hasn't really struck a blow for the generic pharma industry: Ranbaxy remains …
The Ranbaxy-Pfizer dispute involves three drugs:Lipitor, Caduet and Norvasc. The last named is a blood pressure drug. Pfizer's patent over it was annulled recently ending a lucrative monopoly: Norvasc, Pfizer's second biggest selling drug, earned the company about US$5 billion in sales in 2006. But the company combined one of …
thailand's capital Bangkok witnessed protests outside the office of us multinational Abbott Laboratories on March 14, 2007. A day before, the company had withdrawn applications to register seven new formulations including a new version of the anti-hiv-drug Kaletra. It claimed the Thai government had violated international patent laws by permitting …
>> Viacom on March 13 slapped a billion-dollar lawsuit against Google and its affiliate YouTube in New York. It accuses the video-sharing website of massive copyright infringement. It alleges that almost 160,000 unauthorised clips of Viacom's programmes are available on YouTube, which recently said it would remove more than 100,000 …
The Union ministry of science and technology (most) has circulated the draft of a bill on intellectual property rights that seeks to give government-funded universities and research institutions the power to patent innovations. This power was vested with the union government. Though, most claims it will give benefit-sharing access to …
the report of the Technical Expert Group headed by R A Mashelkar, set up to report on aspects of the patent law in the context of the international regime of intellectual property rights, has been withdrawn. The report was to have been used in a case filed by multinational pharmaceutical …
Kavitha Kuruganti I was at the Indian Social Science Congress recently, presenting a paper on genetically engineered crops, raising questions on technology decision-making in Indian agriculture research. The chairperson, an eminent agriculture scientist, intervened and wanted to know what I meant by
An ongoing case in Madras High Court has brought forth a damning revelation: the Indian government remains confused about its patent laws and the latter are now under threat. A May 2006 petition filed by Novartis, the pharmaceutical multinational, has sought changes in India's patent laws. Potent enough to restrict …
the fight for access to a generic version of a cancer drug is likely to get more problematic. India's ministry of commerce and industry has signed a memorandum of understanding (mou) with the us Patent and Trademark Office (uspto) on intellectual property (ipr). Signed on December 20, 2006, the mou …
