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 …
Imagine being able to access a book anywhere in the world. And not just books but documents, treaties and papers on any subject, in any language, in any corner of the world—all at the click of the mouse. That may be the ultimate fantasy of the bibliophile, the scholar, the …
Move to help Indian cos challenge patent holders & sell low-cost version of high-priced drugs The government will make public details of every medicine patented in the country to bring transparency
Several assets of Unani medicine are available in different languages, includ- ing Urdu, Persian and Arabic. These literary assets are easily accessible and are thus susceptible to misappropriation. The Unani system of medicine is being exploited for bio-prospecting. It is often misappropriated because it is assumed that being in public …
Several global drugmakers, including Pfizer, Roche and Bayer, have not met full mandatory disclosures of their patented medicines in India, making them vulnerable to penalties and potentially allowing local firms to make and sell low-cost version of their drugs, local patent lawyers said. To ensure that the patents granted in …
The way paan is associated with India, a Chaurasia is associated with paan. But both the equations are changing, said Lalta Prasad Chaurasia, spitting blood red betel juice into an elegantly designed brass spittoon. The 58-year-old is among the last generation of Chaurasia farmers in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh …
Read this special report by Down To Earth on the iconic Paan losing its appeal. Its trade has dipped 40-50 per cent in the past decade, while consumption of chewing tobacco, especially gutkha, increased during the period. Farmers now prefer other crops. Iconic paan no more appeals to farmers, traders …
In David and Goliath stand-offs public sympathy—and cheering—is always reserved for the heroic small man who takes on the big bad guy. The David usually represents valour in the face of heavy odds. That is how the Indian pharmaceuticals industry projected itself when it began producing generics medicine at a …
At the end of November, Pfizer stands to lose a $10-billion-a-year revenue stream when the patent on its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor expires and cheaper generics begin to cut into the company
The information in patent documents and applications can play an important role in improving access to medicines, said experts at a symposium on “Access to Medicines, Patent Information and Freedom to Operate” in Geneva last month.
This research examines how patent applications and the granting of patents developed at the European Patent Office in 2010. It also examines how the EPO has dealt with other applications for patents on conventionally bred plants following the decision on the broccoli patent. The report shows a steadily increasing number …
After months of prevarication, the European Union has stated publicly that the free trade agreement (FTA) it signs with India will include provisions for data exclusivity because “it is extremely important for research and innovation’’. That’s what European Union ambassador Daniele Smadja told journalists in Delhi on January 21. Smadja’s …
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)1 is one of the most important treaties in the history of humanity as it deals with the infinitely complex but fragile diversity of life on earth. Regulating access to genetic resources and equitable sharing of commercial benefits of biodiversity has been the most contentious …
This is set to become a landmark case for the Indian pharmaceutical industry—and for patients. When Natco Pharma of Hyderabad wrote to Pfizer, the world’s largest drugs manufacturer, that it wanted a voluntary licence (VL) to make a low-cost version of its antiretroviral drug maraviroc, it was setting the stage …
The arguments surrounding the merits and demerits of patents shift between the right of the inventor to enjoy the fruits of his labour and his duty towards the society. In the context of microorganisms, the most vital distinction between the legal practices of India and developed countries is that India …
In the season of scandals and wrongdoing, all other frauds have been overshadowed by the gargantuan 2G swindle because it has been accompanied by murky disclosures of how businessmen and politicians subverted every pillar of our democracy. Naturally, everything else pales in comparison. But there are more scary skeletons in …
Nearly 2 billion people (a third of the world's population) lack access to essential medicines. In low-income and middle-income countries, drugs account for 20
Bal Krishan Keayla, a key figure in the National Working Group on Patent Law and an indefatigable campaigner for two decades against the GATT/WTO agreement on intellectual property, died on 27 November. A colleague in the working group reminisces.
It is now final. Two weeks ago, the final text of the Anti- Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a plurilateral pact ostensibly aimed at stamping out the trade in counterfeit goods, was put out by the cabal of countries that have been negotiating it in secret for the past three years. …
