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 …
A non-governmental organisation has moved the Supreme Court, asking the government to challenge a patent given to a Texas-based company for basmati rice, or move the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organisation. The Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, urged the court to direct the government to …
Was it a case of the green-eyed monster? On Valentine's day French authorities decided to blow away a consignment of Indian roses meant for women in France. The reason behind the action claim French authorities is violation of breeders' rights by Bangalore based floriculturists in India. It all happened in …
Surendra Rohtagi, a Kanpur-based medical expert, is on the verge of a breakthrough for a treatment for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The fight against the dreaded human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has received a shot in the arm, thanks to this Indian doctor. Rohtagi was recently granted a patent for …
the forest department in Kerala has prevented the Kani tribals to cultivate and sell the wonder plant Arogyapacha . The plant is used in the production of a drug developed by the Tropical Botanic Gardens and Research Institute ( tbgri ). The department has also blocked the sale of the …
THE success of patenting the curative attributes of turmeric has prompted the Indian government to set up an institute to catalogue the medicinal application of plants described in old Indian literature. This is to counter any move by any other country to patent the restorative characteristics of Indian plants. The …
The legal battle is over and R A Mashlekar, of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ( csir ), is playing to the gallery by blowing smoke from the barrel of his guns. The applause is also overwhelming and from an international audience. The Indian media is all agog …
THERE is euphoria at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the New Delhi-based government institute, over the decision by the us Patent and Trademark Office (US PTO) to withdraw its patent no 5401504 for the use of turmeric powder as a wound-healing agent on August 13. The move …
a world Trade Organization ( wto ) dispute-settlement panel has ruled that India has violated an agreement on patents and that the country needs to bring its rules in line with international standards. The panel's ruling resulted from a complaint by the us , in July 1996, that India had …
differences between industrial concerns and non-governmental organisations on the formulation of the Plant Variety Protection Act ( pvpa ) were the highlight of the first public hearing on patenting of genetic resources and traditional knowledge systems. The hearing, conducted by the People's Commission on Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge and People's Rights, …
quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ) is a high protein food crop which is eaten by millions of people in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Now two us agronomists, Duane Johnson and Sarah Ward of Colorado State University have been granted a patent on a particular variety of crop known as …
the 'largest lobby campaign in the history of the European Parliament ( ep )' culminated in a vote on July 16 that demonstrates a deplorable lack of democratic responsibility by the ep , according to ngos and environmentalists. The latter feel that Members of European Parliament ( mep ) voted …
in the us, they are clubbed under the curious heading of 'Life industry': giant transnational enterprises which buy, sell and control the market for bio-industrial products. These enterprises thrive on biological materials (plants, animals and microorganisms). From seeds and agrochemicals to pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines, these corporate heavyweights cater to …
• Screening: First, appropriate microorganisms are identified from the soil, water, air or sea. The technique usually comprises a series of tests, depending solely on the discretion of the researcher. • Strain development: The term 'strains' refers to different sub-species of microorganisms. Once an appropriate strain is identified, it is …
The first ever patent in microbiology was granted to Louis Pasteur in 1873. It was on "yeast, free from organic diseases, as an article of manufacture". This was followed by the anti-toxin serum patent (1877), the bacteria vaccine patent (1904) and the viral vaccine patent (1916). The first microorganism-based product …
V SREERAJ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM A team of researchers, including C R Santoshkumar, consultant haematologist at the Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), has been recently awarded a us patent for inventing a method for the determination of oxidised sulfuhydrl amino acids (osaa) in biological fluids like serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The other …
• Over 90,000 Indian soil samples have been diligently screened by Hoechst, a German multinational company, for their microbial diversity. The company is now building a new, high efficiency screening system in Frankfurt, where it will further screen their Indian soil booty. Remarks Richard Helmut Rupp, head of Hoechst"s research …
The discovery of Thermus acquaticus is an excellent story that includes generation of wealth, both economic and societal. First discovered from one of the hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. US, in 1966 by Thomas Brock, a microbiologist it was deposited by him in the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), …
Major fungi collection centres in India, include the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, Punjab University, Chandigarh, Madras University, Chennai, Lucknow University, Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad University, Uttar Pradesh, Calcutta University, West Bengal, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, Ut tar Pradesh, Agaharkar Herbarium, Pune, Maharashtra, and the Indian Type …
Local pharmaceutical groups in Jakarta have decried a draft law aimed at a drug patents crackdown by the government. The roaring medicine business in the city is attributed to several copies of same drugs being sold. And there is nothing to stop any of Indonesia's 240 drug companies from launching …
