Does the Intellectual Property Regime play a role in promoting creativity? As stated by most governments, the objective of patent, copyright, design and other laws is to promote the progress of inventive activity and creativity. Are these laws actually achieving their stated objective? While most of us would like to believe that they are, no empirical study has been able to conclusively prove so far that IP laws actually promote creativity. The logical question that follows would be whether we…
Calico, an independent R&D Biotech company established by Google Inc. and Arthur in 2013, is looking for ways to cure cancer, stop ageing and potentially make humans immortal. Google has been awarded a patent for ‘Nanoparticle Phoresis’ on March 5, 2015. The patent was filed in September, 2013 by Andrew Conrad, Head of Google’s Life Sciences division. The patent talks about Nanoparticle Phoresis which is a device that is able to transmit energy into a person’s body by radio frequencies, magnetic fields,…
Today we'd like to bring to you this little Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson that says it all! We leave it to the interpretation of our readers, to see what "all" means:
Here is the next post in the series of Student Blog Contest. This post is authored by Neerja Gurnani.
I recently went to the Burger King outlet that has been causing immense amounts of hype in Indian teenagers, stood in queue, got a burger, and eagerly bit into it, expecting my mind to be blown. Instead, I was greeted with a very familiar taste – that of a McDonald’s burger. This led me to ask, can taste be patented?
Recipes…
United States Trade Representative (USTR) ordered an Out of Cycle Review (OCR) for India in October. While the USTR insists that the aim of this exercise is to provide constructive feedback to India in order to improve its IP protection and enforcement, many in India are not happy about this move. Not only has the government criticized this move, but also refused to participate in it arguing that the US laws are not applicable to India. Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Commerce…
I-HIPP (In-House Intellectual Property Professionals Forum), an IP Think Tank and advocacy group, had conducted a conference and moot court in memory of Hitesh Barot, a leading in-house IP counsel, on March 6, 2015 at ABB campus, Bangalore.
Hitesh Barot, Senior IP counsel and Former Vice President of Technology Policy at General Electric (GE), was in a tragic accident that claimed his life on May 21, 2015. In a very unusual occurrence, Hitesh Barot was dragged by a crocodile…
Article contributed by Heema Shirvaikar, Intern at BananaIP Counsels, 3rd-year Law Student at Symbiosis, Pune.
Facts and brief history of case:
In 2011, a Writ Petition was filed before the Madras High Court by Mr. Shamnad Basheer, seeking a Writ of Declaration, to declare the establishment of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and the Patents Act, 1970 as violative of the basic structure of the Constitution of India.
Shamnad Basheer, founder of…
Apple, known for suing other high profile companies, gets a taste of its own medicine. Apple Inc. has been ordered to pay US$ 532.9 Mn after a federal jury in Texas found that its iTunes software infringed three patents owned by patent licensing firm, Smartflash LLC.
To market and commoditize his patents, Patrick Racz, in the early 2000s established Smartflash. As a non-practicing entity, the firm operates solely through patent licensing and litigation. Smartflash, a Texas-based patent licensing company, sued Apple…
As a world of glamour, Hollywood has given us some of the most brilliant people that have been an inspiration. Today, we will see an inspiration of another kind. We will see a new side to someone considered one of the most beautiful and talented women in Hollywood. Someone who moonlighted as an inventor! She is Hedy Lamarr!
Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler popularly known as Hedy Lamarr, was an Austrian-American actress and inventor. At the age of 19, she was married to Friedrich…