19. General Patent and Biotechnology Information

Date Source Title Summary Other Categories
07.2001 Nature Biotech Patenting expressed sequence tags and single nucleotide polymorphisms At a time when genome mapping is near completion and organizations are scrambling to stake claims on the fruits of their research, ESTs and SNPs still require a demonstration of utility to earn a patent. 2. Patent Law,  32. Genome Project and Genomics
06.2001 Nature Medicine Web bounty hunters chase research patients A new internet site is seeking information on prior art to shoot down patents and subvert the highly costly legal fees involved in a professional legal search. 18. Value of Patents
06.08.2001 Science Roche Dealt a Setback on European Taq Patent On 30 May the EPO revoked Roche's patent on native Taq polymerase, a crucial element of the polymerase chain reaction. An appeal is pending. Roche is fighting related decisions in the U.S. & Australia. Recombinant Taq patents are also being challenged in Europe. 2. Patent Law
06.08.2001 Science Transatlantic War Over BRCA1 Patent U.S. and European patented technique for detecting mutations in BRCA1 may have flaws, as it does not detect all mutations, especially larger ones.  French labs which detected the larger mutations may challenge the European patent granted to the method. 2. Patent Law, 25. Myriad/BRCA Genes
05.31.2001 New York Times Europeans Revoke Patent on Enzyme The European Patent Office revoked a patent held by Roche on an enzyme crucial to one of the biotechnology industry's fundamental processes, executives said. The decision is the latest victory in a long legal battle by Promega, a small company in Madison, Wis.,that, along with several other companies, challenged the European patent. 2. Patent Law
04.06.2001 BBC News Indian firms embrace biotechnology Multinational and Indian research companies are investing heavily in the industry, encouraged by biotechnology-friendly policies. India's ministers have launched biotechnology strategies to increase funding, create infrastructure, curtail biopiracy and focus on agricultural research. Although research and entry of GM crops are still controversial. 29. GMOs
03.26.2001 New York Times Two Biotech Companies Settle Gene-Chip Case Affymetrix and Oxford Gene Technology have settled all their litigation concerning patents on the gene chip, one of the fundamental inventions in biotechnology, the companies said. 58. General Patent Information
03.21.2001 Washtech.com Celera Takes Stake in Japanese Firm Celera Genomics’s decision to take a minority stake in a Japanese biotechnology company will allow the Rockville firm to strengthen its ties to Japan’s life science industry and collaborate on cutting-edge genetic research, Celera executives said.
03.20.2001 Canadian Biotech Advisory Committee Biotechnological Intellectual Property and the Patenting of Higher Life Forms A comprehensive document on the ethics of patenting and biotechnology. The document is available at http://www.cbac-cccb.ca/english/reports/listDocs.aro?type=41 or  http://www.cbac-cccb.ca/documents/Consultation_IP_English.pdf.  10. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Patents, 58. General Patent Information
02.28.2001 Wired Gene Patent Healthy for Introgen A small Texas company has been granted a patent for a crucial technology used by dozens of companies for gene therapy experiments. The U.S. patent could mean that companies such as Pfizer will find themselves paying royalties to Introgen. 18. Value of Patents
02.15.2001 Nature Patents in a genetic age A look at the problems of patents in the area of genetics. Its implications on health care, research discussed with reference to international agreements and how the legal system interacts with the patent process. Moreover it discusses the lack of policy in the area of patents and the need for reform. [Some interesting stuff, but Richard writes it better ;)] 3. Theory of Patents, 10. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Patents
02.01.2001 Nature Canada pours funds into health research The newly created Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) keeps its promise to support "innovative interdisciplinary ways to conduct research" by distributing Can$64 million (US$43 million) across nearly 500 diverse research projects, involving some 600 researchers in 100 different institutions. [See scientist reactions at: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/

nature/journal/v409/n6821/full/409656a0_fs.html]
01.26.2001 BBC News Rice genome falls to science Syngenta and Myriad Genetics Inc say that knowing the genome required to build the plant will enable the development of new strains with greater yields and better tolerance of harsh conditions.  The completed DNA sequence, of the variety Nippon-Bare, will not be published in a scientific journal or on the internet but will be made freely available to scientists who want to use it. 29. Genetically Modified Food/Organisms
12.2000 Nature Genetics Who owns plant genetics? This article examines the obstacles in the way of exploiting plant genetics to the needs of poor countries. Particularly, the extensive licensing rights that constrain the development and use of agbiotech are explored in some detail in this article. Initiatives currently underway to further the beneficial exploitation of agbiotech for poor countries are also discussed with respect to both private and public institutions. There is also some limited mention of the Plant Genome Project. 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology, 16. Economics and Biotechnology, 32. Genome Project
12.2000 Nature Biotech HGS targets patent-expiring drugs Human Genome Sciences hopes to re-patent many of the biotechnology industry's most celebrated therapeutic proteins and return them to market under its own banner. It plans to do this by extending their blood circulation half-lives by fusing them with human blood serum albumin using technology it purchased in September (2000).
12.2000 Nature Biotech Invalidating patents A new web-based company hopes to change the US patent system by allowing companies to post bounties of $10,000 or more in exchange for information that can either support or invalidate an existing patent. BountyQuest's vision of "market-based patent reform" permits anyone online to submit published information pertaining to a company's request for prior art-published articles or online documents about a composition of purified primate embryonic stem cells, for example. If the information is an exact match, the bounty hunter bags the prize. 18. Value of Patents
12.07.2000 Nature Europe's patent office skips debate on biotech rules Member states of the European Patent Office (EPO), meeting last week, disappointed both researchers and opponents of gene patenting when they declined to clarify European rules for the protection of discoveries in biotechnology. The EPO did, however, agree on steps to increase the efficiency of the European patent system, such as allowing patent applications to be filed in any language. 44. What is the relationship between the European Patent Office and the patent offices of the individual countries?, 45. European Patent Standards
11.16.2000 Nature Political uncertainty halts bioprospecting in Mexico International bioprospecting in Mexico has ground to a halt amid uncertainty about the new government's approach to the collection and export of plant samples, and a vocal campaign that has branded the activity as exploitative.
10.02.2000 OECD Web Site OECD Reports sent to Okinawa G8 General OECD information (with links) for biotechnology and food safety. The web site is copied. However, it is recommended to link from the URL instead.