Patent and Trademark

The gene patent dispute continues on both at home and abroad. Patents on genetic sequences have been a hotly contested part of United States patent law but we are not the only nation battling it out over isolated and purified sequences. Myriad Genetics recently came out victorious in an Australian court decision that recognized their ownership rights of gene linked to cancer. The victory was over Cancer Voices Australia and Yvonne D’Arcy, a Brisbane resident diagnosed with Breast cancer. “We intend to continue the challenge to the monopoly created by the patent held by Myriad,” Rebecca Gilsenan, a lawyer at…

March 16 marked the day a series of new Patent Laws went into effect. Below is an explanation of some important changes that could potentially impact your business. The United States used to be one of the only countries where the first person to invent was awarded the patent for that invention regardless of when they filed their application. That is no longer the case. Desiring to get the U.S. in line with the rest of the world and increase the efficiency of the patent process, the AIA made the U.S. a “first to file system.” The first person to…

As athletes from all around the planet strive for gold in London, there are a few lessons we can all learn about what it means to be an “Olympian.”All across the United Sates and the world, the term “Olympics” is one of the most aggressively protected trademarks. There is a lot to learn from the way the Olympic Committee protects their mark from dilution and infringement. Recently, the Committee was criticized for demanding a British butcher to take down his sign depicting the Olympic Rings shaped from sausages. Also, the domain owner of Ravelympics.com was made to change it to…