Patent Baristas

Damon Darlin at B2Day posted a note about Postal Watch being up in arms about the Postal Service using Special Cancellations of stamps with little characters from the animated movie, Robots. I have to admit, this is one of those items that seems like an abuse of governmental powers. Actually, I don’t think it is […]

There seems to be quite a few protests of India’s passage this week of a new patent law that prevents domestic drug companies from making low-cost generics of expensive Western medicines, saying millions of poor people across the world will be affected. The changes in patent rights come from India’s membership in the World Trade […]

As brought to light by blogger B2fxxx there was a story in the Economist about a recent study published in Science magazine concerning the viability of gene patents in general. See here. Jordan Paradise and her colleagues at the Illinois Institute of Technology, published a study stating that more than a third of the patents […]

Legal Times published an article detailing the prevalence in the business of corporate espionage using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to gain competitive information. Companies are increasingly turning to teams of hired lawyers and analysts who request all data involving a competitor. Targets have included Boeing, MCI WorldCom Inc., McDonnell Douglas, and the General […]

As you may have seen in the news (see, for example, here), Microsoft is now calling for reforms to the U.S. patent system in four areas: improving patent quality, reducing excessive litigation, improving the coordination of international patent law, and increasing the accessibility of patent laws for small companies and individuals. What’s not to like? […]

A patent was awarded to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the multinational company WR Grace & Co. in 1995 for the fungicidal properties of seeds extracted from the neem tree, native to India. But, the European Parliament’s Green Party, India’s Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture […]

In Seattle this week, baristas will compete in the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 2005 U.S. Barista Championship (USBC). Alas, the Patent Baristas will not being attending, given that they just enjoy drinking coffee — not making it. The Barista Championship will feature fifty-five of the most skilled baristas from around the country creating some […]

As a follow-up to my Friday, March 4 post regarding Biogen’s MS drug Tysabri, in an “unrelated” event, Biogen announced the resignation of the executive, Thomas J. Bucknum, effective immediately, and gave no reason for the resignation. Bucknum’s sudden departure, comes amid a regulatory inquiry into his sale of Biogen stock the same day the […]