tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83440567536111586402024-03-14T07:30:20.044-07:00Pipra's blogNews and analysis from PipraThe Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17860511141555852001noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-20322705417041026402011-04-30T05:25:00.001-07:002011-04-30T05:27:39.897-07:00Workshops on IP protection for SMEs and Universities in Kenya<div><blockquote></blockquote>We are organizing two free events for SMEs and universities to learn how to use IP rights in their businesses and research. These workshops have numerous experienced speakers, include a free networking lunch, and will be held at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies. The events are organized by the <a href="http://www.uspto.gov">U.S. Patent & Trademark Office</a>, <a href="http://www.wipo.int">World Intellectual Property Office</a>, <a href="http://www.kipi.go.ke/">Kenya Industrial Property Institute</a>, and, of course, <a href="http://www.pipra.org">PIPRA</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>To learn more about the events and to register, please visit the following websites:</div><div><blockquote></blockquote><ul><li>23 May, <a href="http://nairobi-ip-workshop-for-smes.doattend.com/">IP for SMEs in Kenya</a></li><li>24 May, <a href="http://nairobi-ip-workshop-for-public-sector.doattend.com/">IP for the Public Sector in Kenya</a></li></ul></div>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-19313219350606477342010-02-25T11:09:00.000-08:002010-03-08T10:25:18.199-08:00Make easy money suing false markers<div>As any economist can tell you, the classic public policy rationale for the patent system is that, in order to encourage the progress of the useful arts, our government provides inventors with a limited term monopoly on their inventions in exchange for a detailed explanation of what exactly they've invented. In that manner, others can learn from the inventor. Fundamentally, it's a trade-off: monopolies are bad, but new inventions are good. The patent system tries to strike a balance -- the granted monopoly is quite short, and the inventor is granted narrow rights over the very particular thing that they invented. But, it's such a great, no-brainer trade off that our founders chose to enshrine it in our Constitution.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, did you know that it is illegal to claim that you have a patent on a product, when you actually don't? This makes sense. If you falsely claim to have a monopoly, you scare off other inventors and in general shave a little bit off the public welfare. The crime itself is called "false marking" and any citizen is free to bring suit against false marketers in our federal district court system. Whatever proceeds the plaintiff receives are split evenly with the United States government. How interesting and bizarre!</div><div><br /></div><div>If you follow <a href="http://news.priorsmart.com/">patent news</a>, or read Bryan Beel's <a href="http://37thoughts.wordpress.com/">excellent IP blog</a>, then you may have heard about <a href="http://37thoughts.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/false-marking-suits-go-bananas/">Thomas A. Simonian and a few other aspiring citizens who have started suing the pants off a number of companies</a>. Why? Well, <a href="http://www.grayonclaims.com/home/2010/2/17/patent-marking-police-out-in-full-force.html">according to Justin Gray</a>, the Federal Circuit's recent ruling in <a href="http://gordononpatentcases.blogspot.com/2009/12/forest-group-v-bon-tool-company.html">Forest Group v. Bon Tool</a> showed that the plaintiff can be awarded damages based on the number of infringing acts. That is, if you make widgets and falsely market them as patented, you might have to pay damages on a per widget basis. Wow.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a few questions. Can we all start to do this? It will be interesting to see if Mr. Simonian makes any money. I wonder if his representation is working on contingency? What happens if there's a settlement instead of damages awarded? Is that even possible?</div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, although the concept of suing people willy-nilly is repulsive to most, it seems like these entrepreneurial souls are doing the public a favor. Certainly their PR would be better than other non-practicing entities.</div>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-23705519920657660372010-01-26T11:09:00.000-08:002010-01-26T11:11:11.819-08:00PIPRA wine & cheese receptionPIPRA will be hosting a wine and cheese reception at this year's AUTM annual meeting in New Orleans on Friday, March 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. We are having some amazing speakers including the following:<br /><br /><div><ul><li>Roger Beachy, Director of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.<br />"The National Institute of Food and Agriculture: Bringing Focus, Scope, and Impact to Extramural Research at USDA"</li></ul><ul><li>Aline Flower, Associate General Counsel, Global Development, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Discussion of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Access Strategy for Grants in Agricultural Development”</li></ul><ul><li>Richard Wilder, Associate General Counsel for IP Policy at Microsoft “The Role of Technology Transfer in Cost-effective Options to Address Climate Change” (Microsoft is a member of the Alliance for Clean Technology Innovation - including 3M, Air Liquide, Alstom, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Microsoft, Philips, Siemens, and Vestas)</li></ul><br />Of course, our reception is free, we ask only that you <a href="http://www.pipra.org/annual-meeting-2010/">RSVP on PIPRA's web site</a>.</div>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-2817181155174011252009-10-01T22:38:00.001-07:002009-10-01T22:41:21.248-07:00Stanford loses a big caseThere's a great post Patently-O about <a href="http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2009/10/another-university-patent-ownership-dispute-stanford-loses-rights-based-on-researchers-side-agreement.html">Stanford's case against Roche</a>. In a nutshell (or rather, a nutshell of a nutshell) Stanford's institutional IP agreement with its faculty said the faculty were contractually obligated to assign future inventions to the university; however, they were not automatically assigned. Alas, this small distinction was enough to blow their litigation.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-3712110331575960342009-08-28T13:07:00.001-07:002009-08-28T15:04:23.065-07:00UK Fast-Tracks Clean Technology PatentsEarlier this year the UK Intellectual Property Office announced an initiative to fast-track patent applications related to clean technology. The "Green Channel" can be requested by applicants if they indicate that their technology has the potential to impact climate change.<br /><a href="http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/press-release/press-release-2009/press-release-20090512.htm"><br />http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/press-release/press-release-2009/press-release-20090512.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-5699527218587619522009-08-25T09:57:00.000-07:002009-08-25T10:04:03.864-07:00When universities retain non-commercial/educational use of IP, licensors may lack standing to sue infringersThis is <span style="font-weight:bold;">huge</span>. In <span style="font-style:italic;">Resonant Sensors Inc. v. SRU Biosystems Inc., 3-08-cv-01978</span>, Judge Lynn yesterday ruled that the plaintiff lacked standing to sue, saying<br /><br /><blockquote>"Plaintiffs acknowledge that the [patent owner] retains rights to the non-commercial, educational use of the patents. . . . [T]hese retained rights of use actually demonstrate an absence of complete exclusivity, which in this Court’s view is key to the issue of whether there was a conveyance of all substantial rights."</blockquote><br /><br />Originally reported by the <a href="http://docketreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/licensee-lacked-standing-to-sue-where.html">DocketReport blog</a>.<br /><br />Would the same logic apply to the reservation of humanitarian rights? How does this affect the <span style="font-style:italic;">value</span> of university IP?Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-3157496762657543452009-08-21T14:37:00.000-07:002009-08-21T14:46:57.328-07:00Drama and university patentingAuthorship, in the scientific paper sense, does not necessarily inventorship make, in the patent sense. Occasionally this causes a lot of drama. Witness the following case <a href="https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2007cv1771-10">JUNIPER NETWORKS INC v. BAHATTAB</a> [PDF]. As described at the wonderful <a href="http://docketreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/thesis-advisor-for-inventors-research.html">Docket Report blog</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Thesis Advisor for Inventor's Research was not a Co-Inventor. The court granted defendant's motion for summary judgment on plaintiff's inventorship claim, rejecting plaintiff's argument that the named inventor's thesis advisor was a co-inventor.</blockquote><br /><br />Interesting case. More frequently, its probably the <span style="font-style:italic;">student</span> who is left off the patent and feels slighted (probably rightly so!).<br /><br />Another, interesting case: <a href="http://ipbiz.blogspot.com/2009/06/stanford-phd-student-sues-stanford.html">Stanford Ph.D. student sues Stanford, Stanford prof over patents and copying thesis</a>. Good to see students sticking up for their IP in general!Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-54863089120048126032009-08-15T17:55:00.000-07:002009-08-28T14:22:39.518-07:00Patent pools in global healthThis year UNITAID announced plans to establish a <a href="http://www.msfaccess.org/media-room/press-releases/msf-welcomes-unitaid-patent-pool-endorsement/">patent pool</a> for medicines "to provide patients in low and middle income countries with increased access to more appropriate and lower price medicines." A task force is working out the details. Glaxo-Smith Kline similarly announced support for a voluntary <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSN1353591120090213">patent pool </a>to encourage innovation in neglected diseases afflicting the world's poor.<br /><br />These patent pools are a different breed than the more traditional ones based on cross-licensing structures and typically found in standard-driven industries -- like the MPEG LA <a href="http://www.mpegla.com/index1.cfm">patent pool</a> that licenses portfolios of patents essential to downstream innovation using this technology for digital video compression. Traditional pools usually contain carefully selected technologies, have pre-negotiated licensing arrangements, and require significant resources to create and manage.<br /><br />GSK's commitment to global health priorities is well-established (e.g. its <a href="http://www.gsk.com/media/pressreleases/2008/2008_pressrelease_0014.htm">partnership</a> with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)). But for this new foray into the world of patent pools, it is still too early to tell whether there is likely to be any real impact on innovation in global health technologies. If the patents in these "pools" are offered under standardized and practical licensing terms, it would serve to reduce transaction costs and increase accessibility. Implementing standardized licensing language, though, is a real challenge. <br /><br />If, instead, companies gather patents that are loosely technically related, post the information online, and simply note that they are open for negotiating licenses for uses in developing country applications, the PR benefits could be much greater than the real impact on innovation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-30864352498778694482009-02-09T10:09:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:11:54.243-08:00Decline in university patenting?IPWatch is <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/02/09/the-decline-of-university-patenting-and-the-end-of-the-bayh-dole-effect/">reporting</a><br /><blockquote>A new study finds a decline in percentage of university patents in the United States as a percentage of overall patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Organization. It says this is a seeming trend in advanced economies, and hypothesises that it is due to a change in the way that universities are ranked that has reduced incentives to patent.</blockquote><br />The study is written by <a href="http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lleydesdorff/Bayh-Dole/index.htm">Loet Leydesdorff & Martin Meyer</a>.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-72821871557640964172008-10-28T14:28:00.000-07:002008-10-28T14:36:37.359-07:00Workshops in Vietnam<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, we just finished two workshops in Vietnam, both in collaboration with the <a href="http://www.noip.gov.vn/">National Office of Intellectual Property</a>. The workshops were entitled (this is quite a mouthful) "workshop on intellectual property rights and commercialization of research results in the field of agriculture and bio-agriculture." I'm told it sounds better in Vietnamese.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkljensen%2Falbumid%2F5260484165341451873%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3Dp1TlU_iv6zI" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />We did one workshop in Hanoi in one workshop in Cantho. (The pictures are from both workshops.) In general, it was a great time. We had about 60 researchers at each location, all from public research institutions. The agenda at each workshop was more or less the same: talks by experts, case studies, and time for discussion.<br /><br />One topic that we discussed at length this year, that we did not cover last year, was institutional IP policies. As it turns out, this is hugely important in Vietnam now --- many universities are struggling to write a IP policy. The motivating factor seems to be that faculty are increasingly commercializing their research, which leads to tensions between faculty, collaborators, their universities, and even government. As you might expect, these tensions are over who owns research results and is entitled to, for example, a portion of revenue from royalties if a piece of IP is licensed. For example, we were privileged to have at our workshop in Hanoi a researcher from Hanoi University of Agriculture who recently came into fame after she successfully sold her hybrid rice variety to a company for roughly half a million US dollars. Of course, her research program at HUA was funded by numerous agencies, including the government. Furthermore, she did not have any IP agreement with the University. So, her good fortune has been somewhat muddled by a debate over how the proceeds from her sale will be divided between the researchers, the university, and the government. Obviously, many institutions would like to have a clear IP policy beforehand to avoid such confusion!<br /><br />In addition to the many interesting talks by experts, PIPRA presented some of the new tools we have developed for researchers in Vietnam. These include our <a href="http://vietnam.pipra.org/shtt.html">patent search site</a>, through which you can search the USPTO using Vietnamese instead of English; and our <a href="http://www.pipra.org/policy_writer_vn/">IP Policy Writer</a>, which helps institutions draft an IP policy by leading them through a series of simple questions.<br /><br />And now the most important part of this blog post. As many of you know, our program in Southeast Asia is funded exclusively by the <a href="http://www.spf.org/e/">Sasakawa Peace Foundation</a>. We are grateful for their funding and their commitment to improving IP management as a means to enhance technology commercialization and national development.</span>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-31138127740515836122008-09-08T10:11:00.000-07:002008-09-08T10:19:27.711-07:00New York Times writes about the impact of Bayh-DoleThere's an interesting article at the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a> on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh-Dole_Act">Bayh-Dole</a> entitled: "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/technology/07unbox.html">When Academia Puts Profit Ahead of Wonder</a>." (The article is the most e-mailed article on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">nytimes.com website</a> right now.) In general, the article is critical of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh-Dole_Act">Bayh-Dole</a>. For example, the author says:<br /><blockquote><br />Perhaps the most troublesome aspect of campus commercialization is that research decisions are now being based on possible profits, not on the inherent value of knowledge. “Blue sky” research — the kind of basic experimentation that leads to a greater understanding of how the world works — has largely been set aside in favor of projects considered to have more immediate market potential.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />The article fails to mention some important, positive aspects of the legislation. For example, for many university innovations, fungible IP rights promote the dissemination and commercialization of those innovations. For an opposing view, see <a href="http://www.patentdocs.net/patent_docs/2008/09/new-attack-on-p.html">Donald Zhun's blog</a>.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-68826344809083127092008-07-30T14:18:00.000-07:002008-07-30T15:22:27.002-07:00Analyst position at PIPRAPIPRA is searching for an IP Analyst to work on biofuels and crop regulation at our offices in Davis, CA. The position is described below.<br /><br />The Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA) is a grant-supported program that coordinates agricultural intellectual property (IP) management across 50 member institutions to enable research projects that address specialty crops and/or humanitarian projects in developing countries. PIPRA manages a comprehensive patent database comprising intellectual property from all member institutions, creates and delivers educational programs to support intellectual property management capacity building in developing countries, conducts legal research to assess the freedom to operate around specific patented agricultural technologies and implements collaborative strategies to manage pools of intellectual property belonging to multiple institutional owners.<br /><br />There are four functional units within PIPRA: IP Information Services and Analysis, Education and Outreach, Biotechnology Resources, and Intellectual Property management. This position (IP Analyst) falls within the IP Information Services and Analysis unit, and was created to provide analytical services in support of legal research on various projects undertaken by this unit. Under the direction of the unit director, this position independently works with internal staff and external organizations to ensure that PIPRA fulfills all requested contractual services in a timely manner and provides quality analytical data.<br />The analyst will participate in the following projects:<br /><br /><ul><li>assess the biofuel IP landscape associated with the use of lignocellulosic biomass.</li><li>provide analytical support for legal IP freedom-to-operate opinions of specific technologies. </li><li>review the US and international biosafety regulatory process as it relates to specialty crops.</li></ul><br />Analyses to be conducted will typically require cross-disciplinary awareness of law, science, public policy, and information technology. The analyst will independently set priorities, milestones, and presents deliverables in written and/or oral format .<br /><br />Time: 40 hours per week<br />Ideal candidates will meet the following criteria:<br /><br />Education: University degree is required- a degree in biological sciences, plant biotechnology, biochemistry, or related field is strongly preferred. Patent agent certification or understanding of legal IP issues is highly desired but NOT required. Understanding or interest in learning about legal IP and regulatory issues is required.<br /><br />Skills:<br /><br /><ul><li>Demonstrated experience in project management and research, especially as it relates to IP law, science, or policy.</li><li>Demonstrated ability to work independently.</li><li>Ability to professionally interact with representatives of external organizations to fulfill requests and provide support.</li><li>Ability to design and supervise implementation of a variety of projects related to IP management.</li><li>Demonstrated experience in oral and written communications with a broad section of professionals in the legal, academic, and business communities.</li><li>Ability to support development of institutional strategies addressing complex issues involving IP law or policy.</li><li>Demonstrated skills in assessing priorities and strong organizational skills to effectively work on multiple projects simultaneously.</li><li>Demonstrated skill in data management and analysis.</li><li>Familiarity or ability to learn about, IP, scientific literature, and other pertinent databases.</li><li>Excellent writing and speaking skills.</li><li>Ability to work effectively individually and as part of a team.</li><li>Professional skills, judgment and diplomacy to achieve successful outcomes in sensitive or difficult interactions.</li><li>Computer skills in spreadsheets</li></ul><br />This position offers a competitive salary determined by the successful candidate's experience and full health benefits. Please send a statement describing your interests, detailed curriculum vitae, and 2-3 letters of references via email to Kathleen Bess, <a href="klbess@ucdavis.edu">klbess@ucdavis.edu</a>. Review of applications will start August 15th, 2008 and continue until the position is filled.<br /><br />The University of California, Davis is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-58719726821220355132008-07-15T09:17:00.000-07:002008-07-15T09:21:18.894-07:00Michael Heller's Gridlock Economy<a href="http://www.pipra.org/">PIPRA</a> is prominently featured in <a href="http://www.law.columbia.edu/fac/Michael_Heller">Michael Heller</a>'s new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gridlock-Economy-Ownership-Markets-Innovation/dp/0465029167">Gridlock Economy</a>. It is a very interesting and readable explanation of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_anticommons">anticommons</a>. Highly recommended.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-58260964081874565372008-06-02T11:30:00.000-07:002008-06-02T11:45:38.211-07:00Syngenta and Monsanto settle IP disputes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div><a href="http://www.monsanto.com/">Monsanto</a> and <a href="http://www.syngenta.com/">Syngenta</a> reached an <a href="http://www.syngenta.com/en/media/mediareleases/en_080523.html">agreement </a>yesterday under which they settled apparently all of their IP disputes. Under the terms of the agreement</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote><br /><ul><br /> <li>Monsanto receives a royalty-bearing license to Syngenta’s enabling technology for dicamba herbicide tolerance. </li><br /> <li>Syngenta receives more favorable marketing conditions relating to its Bt11 trait for European corn borer control. </li><br /> <li>Monsanto and Syngenta agree to settle all patent, antitrust and commercial litigation between the companies and their subsidiaries. These disputes include: Syngenta’s antitrust action against Monsanto, all infringement cases on herbicide-tolerant and insect-protected corn technologies, and a dispute between the parties on herbicide-tolerant soybean technology.</li><br /> <li>Syngenta receives a royalty-bearing license to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ soybean technology.</li><br /> <li>Monsanto and Syngenta agree to cross-enable each other to develop and deliver innovative new herbicide-tolerant and Bt insect-protection products in corn, cotton and soybeans to compete for the business of farmers around the world. </li><br /> </ul><br /></blockquote><br /></div></span>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-68198664962936569102008-03-24T15:22:00.000-07:002008-03-24T15:34:12.935-07:00Water-Efficient Maize for Africa: PIPRA Supports CIMMYT in Negotiations<span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://www.pipra.org/">PIPRA</a> and <a href="http://www.mofo.com/">Morrison & Foerster, LLP</a> played a key role supporting public sector interests on behalf of <a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">CIMMYT</a> in recent negotiations surrounding <a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">CIMMYT</a>’s role in a $47 million dollar project to deliver drought-tolerant maize to sub-Saharan Africa.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/">Bill & Melinda Gates</a> and Howard G. Buffett Foundations announced their support this week for a project, led by Nairobi-based <a href="http://www.aatf-africa.org/">AATF</a> (The <a href="http://www.aatf-africa.org/">African Agricultural Technology Foundation</a>), in collaboration with Monsanto Company and <a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">CIMMYT</a> (The <a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center</a>) that will work to provide new varieties of water-efficient, locally-adapted maize for small-scale African farmers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Maize is the staple food for more than a quarter of a billion Africans and, according to 2008 estimates produced by the <a href="http://www.usaid.gov/">USAID</a> Famine Early Warning System Network, climate change could decrease rainfall in eastern and southern Africa by up to 25% over the coming decades. “By 2020 all of Africa will have an expected crop reduction ranging from 10-20 percent,” according to John Shroder, Professor of Geography and Geology at <a href="http://www.unomaha.edu/main.php">University of Nebraska Omaha</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Drought-tolerance in maize to increase food security in Africa is the subject of much ongoing global research. The Water-Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project represents a key public-private partnership in this area, combining <a href="http://www.monsanto.com/">Monsanto</a>'s expertise in molecular marker assisted breeding</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and transgenics with <a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">CIMMYT</a>'s advanced breeding programs for tropical</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> maize, and <a href="http://www.aatf-africa.org/">AATF</a>’s experience in the stewardship of genetically modified (GM) projects.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">CIMMYT</a> chose <a href="http://www.pipra.org/">PIPRA</a> and technology transactions attorney Jonathan Dickstein from the San Francisco offices of law firm <a href="http://www.mofo.com/">Morrison & Foerster</a> to integrate public sector issues and interests on behalf of <a href="http://www.cimmyt.org/">CIMMYT</a> into the WEMA public-private partnership (PPP) research agreement. PPPs can be difficult to negotiate, given the deep cultural differences between the public and private sectors related to confidentiality, publication rights, public goods, and intellectual property rights. <a href="http://www.pipra.org/"> PIPRA</a> offers a unique resource with its experience in articulating public sector goals and its mission to provide services to support the strategic management of intellectual property rights among public agricultural research organizations worldwide.</span>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-84820016584674831802008-02-10T08:31:00.000-08:002008-02-10T08:36:08.156-08:00USPTO Rejects HIV/AIDS Drug Patents after considering prior art<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/68997406_86baf89647.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/68997406_86baf89647.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On 23 January, 2008 the Public Patent Foundation announced that the USPTO rejected four patents assigned to Gilead Sciences that related to the HIV/AIDS drug tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). The Public Patent Foundation filed a third party request for re-examination,</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> submitting prior art that had not been disclosed in the patent prosecution process.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">For more information on the patents, the reexaminations, and the Public Patent Foundation, see:</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.pubpat.org/gileadhivaidsdrug.htm" target="_blank"> http://www.pubpat.org/gileadhi<wbr>vaidsdrug.htm</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com892tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-58212827819171974372008-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:002008-01-02T15:57:36.766-08:00Wrap-up of Pipra's workshop in Vietnam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.com/kljensen/R1yuVg10NeI/AAAAAAAAAXM/-OVElpn6nw4/s288/pipra2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh3.google.com/kljensen/R1yuVg10NeI/AAAAAAAAAXM/-OVElpn6nw4/s288/pipra2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We've been meaning to write for some time about our recent workshop in Vietnam. As many "Pipra friends" know, we have a grant from the <a href="http://www.spf.org/e/">Sasakawa Peace Foundation</a> (SPF) to teach about IP management in Vietnam. We're helping public research institutions there learn about patenting, in-licensing, out-licensing, commercialization, and, in general, how to maximize the return on their public research dollars.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.google.com/kljensen/R1yuXA10NfI/AAAAAAAAAXU/iekqvuGauyc/s288/pipra1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh5.google.com/kljensen/R1yuXA10NfI/AAAAAAAAAXU/iekqvuGauyc/s288/pipra1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>On November 27th and 28th, PIPRA hosted the first of three annual workshops in Hanoi, Vietnam entitled “Intellectual Property Rights and Commercialization of Research Results of Institutions in the Field of Agriculture and Biotechnology” (a long title, which, we are told sounds better in Vietnamese!). The workshop was co-organized with the <a href="http://www.noip.gov.vn/">National Office of Intellectual Property</a> (NOIP) and the <a href="http://www.mard.gov.vn/">Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development</a> (MARD).<br /><br />We happy to say that the workshop was an unqualified success. We had over 80 attendees from more than 21 different institutions and some excellent speakers including Ramon Oliveros, from <a href="http://www.irri.org/">IRRI</a>; Atty. Antonio Beronio, from <a href="http://www.philrice.gov.ph/">PhilRice</a>; Dr. Shashank Mauria, from <a href="http://www.icar.org.in/">ICAR</a>; and Dr. Saowaluck Pornkulwat from <a href="http://www.monsanto.com/">Monsanto</a> Thailand.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-58276374494470952452007-11-12T06:33:00.000-08:002007-11-12T06:40:04.440-08:00Apply Now for the Plant Breeding Academy – Space is Limited!The Plant Breeding Academy (PBA), sponsored by the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center, is accepting applications for Class II, which will begin in September 2008. Already accepted to the new class are a number of outstanding professionals from the US, Europe and Africa. These individuals work with a variety of crops including grains, vegetables, and legumes.<br /><br /><br />The PBA is a two year program designed to meet the needs of working professionals, giving them the critical tools they will need to manage a breeding program. Meeting for six one-week sessions over two years, the academy’s schedule allows participants to maintain their current working positions. The course includes lectures, field trips, discussions, homework, and a comprehensive final project where students design a breeding program.<br /><br /><br />Taught by internationally recognized plant breeders, the PBA is limited in size to give students personal attention. Visit the <a href="http://groups.ucanr.org/pba/">Plant Breeding Academy</a> website for more information and to apply for the 2008-2010 Academy. For questions, contact Cathy Glaeser, Program Representative, at <a href="mailto://clglaeser@ucdavis.edu">clglaeser@ucdavis.edu</a>, or 530-752-4414.Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-63873970684514805142007-09-07T11:23:00.000-07:002007-09-07T13:47:19.030-07:00New USPTO Continuation rules and the implications for Ag Biotech research<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RuG4e6CYUAI/AAAAAAAAABk/4l8lnAGrif4/s1600-h/640586_32252958.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107566293529677826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RuG4e6CYUAI/AAAAAAAAABk/4l8lnAGrif4/s200/640586_32252958.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a id="fgp3" title="The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released new rules" href="http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr46716.pdf">The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released new rules</a> regarding continuations this past August 21, 2007. The new rules, in general, limit an applicant’s<span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> opportunities </span>to gain patent protection for any given invention. The number of patent applications that can be filed on one invention are restricted to one parent application followed by two continuations or continuations-in-part (CIP). Also, only one request for continued examination (RCE) in a patent family is allowed, and the number of claims in any patent application is restricted to 25.<br /><br />There is still some debate, as to how many patents a year will be affected by the new rules. Biotechnology industry representatives are protesting, feeling that a more liberal view of continuations is required for the biotechnology industry. In general, continuations are most popular in the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields. Continuations accounted for 70-80% of patents awarded to the top biotechnology companies, in the period from 1995 - 1999. With these new rules restricting applicant’s to filing two continuations, it may be that the biotechnology industry will be severely impacted.<br /><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Some industries have a large expenditure of both time and money when obtaining experimental data, especially when human or animal experiments are involved. Continuations help applicants in these situations by allowing an applicant to file one original application, and then subsequent applications for any further claims supported by new experiments. Without an opportunity for the applicant to file a continuation, the ability of an applicant to satisfy all statutory requirements to obtain a patent may be severely restricted. </p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Some feel the new restriction on continuations will particularly affect small biotechnology companies. Dr. Tom Herlache from the <span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://oip.msu.edu/index.html">Office of Intellectual Property</a></u></span> at Michigan State University (a PIPRA member), believes that the new rules will essentially force applicants to bundle inventions together “so that they do not become prior art against each other”. He feels that the new rules regarding RCE’s “would likely greatly extend patent pendancy and patenting costs”, which would in turn “decrease licensing opportunities somewhat”.<br /></p><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">For further information, please see the following links:</p><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/presentation/clmcontfinalrule.html">http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/presentation/clmcontfinalrule.html</a></u></span><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u></u></span></p><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2007/08/continuation-ru.html#more">http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2007/08/continuation-ru.html#more</a></u></span> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-29380630983883649992007-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:002007-08-29T14:39:30.598-07:00Farmer petitions Supreme Court to review Roundup Ready patent case<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RtXnT6CYT9I/AAAAAAAAABM/BbG2T5nHfX4/s1600-h/17710021_0c94dd3c37_m.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104240081877094354" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Photo from Flickr user Clearly Ambiguous" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RtXnT6CYT9I/AAAAAAAAABM/BbG2T5nHfX4/s200/17710021_0c94dd3c37_m.jpg" border="0" /></a> Monsanto owns at least two patents on “Roundup Ready” crops that are resistant to glyphosate herbicides. When farmers purchase seeds for Roundup Ready crops they sign a “Technology Agreement”, which requires among other things, that the farmers do not retain any seeds for replanting and that they pay a licensing fee. In 1998, McFarling, a farmer from Northern Mississippi, signed the agreement, paid the license fees, and ultimately purchased Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybean seeds. In 1999 and 2000, he replanted seeds saved from 1998 without paying license fees. After learning of this, Monsanto sued McFarling for breach of both of their patents (U.S. Patent No. <span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&amp;amp;d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&amp;amp;f=G&l=50&s1=5,633,435.PN.&OS=PN/5,633,435&RS=PN/5,633,435">5,633,435</a></u></span> and U.S. Patent No. <span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&amp;amp;d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&amp;amp;f=G&l=50&s1=5,352,605.PN.&OS=PN/5,352,605&RS=PN/5,352,605">5,352,605</a></u></span>).<br />Following the Federal Circuit’s decision in the second appeal, Monsanto withdrew all claims other than breach of the ‘605 patent for which the company sought damages. McFarling proceeded to argue new grounds for his defense, as Monsanto had withdrawn some claims, which was denied by both the district court and the Federal Circuit.<br /><br />McFarling claimed that Monsanto's established licensing fee should limit the size of damages awarded. However, a Missouri jury found McFarling liable and awarded damages of $40 per seed bag, even though Monsanto only charges a $6.50 license fee per bag of seed. An injunction was also issued, requiring McFarling to cease usage of seeds saved from 1998<span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,0)"></span>. The Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit (CAFC) found that Monsanto's default licensing fee did not limit the possible damages. Furthermore, the court noted that infringement damages could properly include (a) any harm felt by Monsanto as a result of the infringement, as well as (b) any additional benefits gained by McFarling. This included: reputational harm as a result of rogue planters, potential lapses in Monsanto’s database of planting techniques, McFarling’s increase in yield of $31-61 per acre, as well as bargaining power. This decision by the CAFC changes the way patent infringement damages can be calculated and potentially makes allowable damages signifigantly larger.<br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><br /></p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">McFarling has now petitioned the Supreme Court for a grant of a Writ of Certiorari. For further information, please see the following links:</p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2007/08/mcfarling-petit.html">http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2007/08/mcfarling-petit.html</a></u></span><br /></p><br /><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"><a id="at43" title="http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html" href="http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html">http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html</a></p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"><a id="at43" title="http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html" href="http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html"><br /></a></p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"><a id="at43" title="http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html" href="http://www.patentdocs.us/patent_docs/2007/06/monsanto_co_v_m.html">http://www.fulcruminquiry.com/Monsanto_reasonable_royalty_case.htm<br /></a></p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,0)"></span><br /></p><br /><p class="western" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-67288971348285830442007-08-10T10:44:00.000-07:002007-08-10T10:46:27.987-07:00IDRC funding opportunity in developing country IP<span style="font-family:verdana;">IDRC, The International Development Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada has a Call for Proposals related to intellectual property in developing countries. IDRC is seeking proposals for work in the area of increasing developing countries' access to technologies and information contained in existing patents to support innovative research at the national level. The main subject areas of proposals re: patent pools, compulsory licensing, and research exemptions. More information can be found at: </span><a href="http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-112535-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-112535-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html</span></a>The Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17860511141555852001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-2047414374769007812007-06-27T16:17:00.000-07:002007-06-27T16:38:19.162-07:00Purdue Professor Wins the World Food Prize<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RoL0r0EBbuI/AAAAAAAAABE/7n-oajF6vK0/s1600-h/purdue_logo2.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080892363174407906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RoL0r0EBbuI/AAAAAAAAABE/7n-oajF6vK0/s200/purdue_logo2.gif" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">This year's World Food Prize was awarded to Professor Philip Nelson of Purdue University, a long-standing member of PIPRA. The Prize is given each year by the World Food Prize Foundation to recognize people who have "advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food worldwide." The Prize, which is considered the Nobel of agriculture, was established in 1970 by Norman Borlaug, himself recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Nelson was awarded this year's World Food Prize for his contributions to food processing and preservation.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />You can read more about the prize and Professor Nelson's work on <a href="http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2007a/070618NelsonPrize.html">Purdue's web site</a>.<br /><br />Asked about the prize, Professor Nelson said:<br /><br /><div><blockquote>It's quite an honor to be recognized and also very humbling because of the past winners...This award also recognizes the profession of food science and Purdue. Purdue certainly receives a lot of credit because it's where I spent my career of some 47 years.</blockquote><br /></span></div>The Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17860511141555852001noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-13928544245813071582007-06-18T07:55:00.000-07:002010-02-13T19:10:22.935-08:00USPTO community patent review<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/Rnaeyp5UNQI/AAAAAAAAAA8/YZiEOL5DIKs/s1600-h/p2p_hdr_logo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077420222983714050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/Rnaeyp5UNQI/AAAAAAAAAA8/YZiEOL5DIKs/s200/p2p_hdr_logo.gif" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">The USPTO started an experimental program last week: community patent review. Anybody can participate in the process by signing up on the Peer-to-Patent web site at </span><a href="http://www.peertopatent.org/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">http://www.peertopatent.org/</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. From the project's web site:<br /><br /></span><br /><div><blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Peer-to-Patent opens the patent examination process to public participation for the first time. Become part of this historic pilot program. Help the USPTO find the information relevant to assessing the claims of pending patent applications. Become a community reviewer and improve the quality of patents.<br /></span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">You can read more about the project, including all the press coverage it's received, on the </span><a href="http://dotank.nyls.edu/communitypatent/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Peer-to-Patent blog</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Found via <a href="http://news.priorsmart.com/">Patent News</a>.</span></div>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-91689839465626528222007-05-22T15:34:00.000-07:002007-05-22T16:07:12.257-07:00World Bank study reveals mixed progress on poverty reduction<a href="http://watersecretsblog.com/archives/World%20Bank%20Logo.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://watersecretsblog.com/archives/World%20Bank%20Logo.gif" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">The </span><a href="http://www.worldbank.org"><span style="font-family:verdana;">World Bank's</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Private Sector Development Blog </span><a href="http://psdblog.worldbank.org/psdblog/2007/05/on_fighting_pov.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">has a short commentary</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> about a recent </span><a href="http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&theSitePK=469372&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;piPK=64165421&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000016406_20070416104010"><span style="font-family:verdana;">study</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> by the Bank. The study shows that the <em>percentage</em> of people living in poverty <em>decreased</em> over the past 25 years; however, the <em>total number</em> of people living in poverty <em>did not decrease</em> signifigantly, except in </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">the People's Republic of China. The authors also suggest that much of China's poverty reduction is due to agrarian reforms by the Chinese Communist Party since 1970.<br /><br />From the study's abstract:<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;">We report new estimates of measures of absolute poverty for the developing world over 1981-2004. A clear trend decline in the percentage of people who are absolutely poor is evident, although with uneven progress across regions. We find more mixed success in reducing the total number of poor. Indeed, the developing world outside China has seen little or no sustained progress in reducing the number of poor, with rising poverty counts in some regions, notably Sub-Saharan Africa. There are encouraging signs of progress in reducing the incidence of poverty in all regions after 2000, although it is too early to say if this is a new trend.</span></blockquote></div>Kyle Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572842867915408556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344056753611158640.post-72344184604696544262007-05-16T23:29:00.000-07:002007-05-17T11:53:40.351-07:00PIPRA and MIHR introduce IP Handbook<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RkxrpIEFb7I/AAAAAAAAAA0/4OFluazj-n4/s1600-h/IPHandbookCover.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065542035168391090" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Llg-Re5VwN4/RkxrpIEFb7I/AAAAAAAAAA0/4OFluazj-n4/s200/IPHandbookCover.gif" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">"It will be <i>the</i> reference for the next generation" says Ariel Pablos-Mendez, Managing Director of the Rockefeller Foundation at BIO 2007 in Boston on May 6 at the official launch of the 2000 page Intellectual Property Handbook. This collection of 153 chapters on the art and science of intellectual property management teaches us "to think of using IP in the public interest."</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Lita Nelsen, head of technology transfer for MIT and one of the editors of the two volume reference book, describes it as "the How-To manual for using the tool of IP." It is geared, she says, toward two distinct audiences. One is "research institutions and technology transfer operations in developing countries that are building the capabilities of understanding and of actually practicing technology transfer." The other is "</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">first world institutions, to make sure that they consider the needs of developing countries when they license important IP in medicines, vaccines, and foods, and do it right."</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Suresh Jadhav, president of the Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network says "I am quite sure that this book, when it goes to developing country manufacturers, or to the research organizations and the universities in developing countries, will certainly teach them the thought process about how to handle their own technologies and how to handle the technologies which are available from developed countries.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">"<br /><br />The IP Handbook fulfills the spirit of the old Chinese proverb "</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Give</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> a man a </span><b style="font-weight: bold;">fish</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and you feed him for a day. </span><b style="font-weight: bold;">Teach</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> a man to </span><b style="font-weight: bold;">fish</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and you feed him for a lifetime.</span>"<br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3