21st February , 2010

Bhagalpur tussar silk to get GI

Bhagalpur silk, the famous tussar from Bihar is on its way to be an exclusive brand, as its registration as Geographical Indications (GI) is nearing completion.

A GI tag to tussar silk would help its weavers giving them access to more markets and better prices and in the long run improve the silk business. Silk manufacturing was a booming business in Bhagalpur, also known as the silk city, but competition from new centers at Bangalore and Ahmedabad were affecting the business. This GI status for Bhagalpur tussar silk would legally prohibit others from selling silks made at places other than Bhagalpur under the same brand.

The Geographical Indication is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and hold qualities, reputation or characteristics that are basically attributable to that region. Bhagalpur tussar silk is supplied to export houses in Kolkata, Delhi and Varanasi that export it to other countries including the Middle East, Europe, Japan and the US.

Hardware-based Antivirus patented by Kaspersky

The USPTO has approved an application from Kaspersky Labs for a hardware based antivirus solution. This new hardware-implemented anti-virus (AV) module has its own CPU and memory and can effectively combat rootkits. Kaspersky Lab is a leading developer of secure content management solutions.

The patent was registered by the USPTO on 2 February, 2010. The patented technology was developed by Oleg Zaitsev, a senior technology expert at Kaspersky Lab. The technology uses a hardware-based antivirus to deactivate malicious programs that store themselves or infect files on a computer's hard drive. The patented antivirus program examines data that is written to the hard disk, identifying and blocking the malicious programs.

The patented device is installed between a drive (hard drive or SSD) and the computing unit (CPU and RAM) and is connected to the system bus or integrated into the disk controller. This anti-virus system, which has its own CPU and memory and can also be used in combination with other AV applications.

‘Smart Car’ Patent for Kapsch

Kapsch TrafficCom Inc., an international supplier of road traffic telematics solutions has been issued a patent by the USPTO.

The patent relates to a method and system for automatically determining right of way for cars equipped with "smart" mobile units, at an intersection or crossing. The method and system include collecting position and movement information about a number of "smart" mobile units or vehicles approaching an intersection, and delivers automated determination and dissemination of right-of-way information.

This right-of-way indicator would be useful in reducing the large number of collisions that occur at intersections. This patent combines communication and computing technologies into motor vehicles to improve the safety. Kapsch is a contributor to the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems program.

Teva Pharmaceuticals settles famciclovir patent dispute

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., has signed an agreement with Novartis to settle a patent dispute involving Teva’s U.S. generic version of Novartis’ Famvir® (famciclovir) 125 mg, 250 mg and 500 mg tablets including all claims for patent infringement and damages. Teva had launched its generic famciclovir tablets in the U.S. in September 2007.

The present agreement discharges Teva from all the activities, both past and future, in connection with the U.S. marketing and sale of Teva's generic famciclovir tablets.  Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. will make a one-time payment to Novartis in addition to a current royalty on U.S. sales of generic famciclovir, under the terms of the agreement.

US ITC favors LG Electronics in Whirlpool Refrigerator Patent Case

In a long-running refrigerator patent infringement case brought by Whirlpool Corporation, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued its final decision ruling in favor of LG Electronics. The ITC has denied the patent infringement claim by Whirlpool, resulting in a total triumph for LG Electronics over all of Whirlpool's patent infringement claims.

The ITC ruled that all but one of the claims of Whirlpool's U.S. Patent No. 6,082,130 for ice storage bins located in refrigerator doors were invalid. The ITC terminated the investigation citing no infringement, as one remaining claim of the patent did not cover LG's refrigerators.

Whirlpool had claimed that five of its patents covered LG refrigerators. On Oct. 9, 2009, an ITC Judge found that the '130 patent did not cover LG refrigerators and ruled that the ITC should not grant any relief to Whirlpool. That ruling led to the final ITC determination rejecting all of Whirlpool's claims for relief. LG filed its own patent infringement cases against Whirlpool after Whirlpool filed the ITC case, which is now pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The case is scheduled for trial in March 2010.

Cyclone Power Technologies has been issued a notice to grant the company a patent on its heat regenerative external combustion engine by the European Patent Office.

Cyclone Power Technologies's invention is a modern steam engine, known as a Schoell Cycle engine, which can run on any liquid or gaseous fuel, thus creating fewer emissions. This invention also has multiple heat-regenerative processes and a water lubricated system. This technology can be used in automobiles, power generators, solar thermal installations and biomass energy and waste heat recovery applications.

The European patent is the sixth international patent for Cyclone's engine. The company has already patented its engine in Korea, China, Russia, South Africa and Australia in 2009, in the United States in 2006, and also the engine's proprietary combustion chamber in the U.S. in 2008.

Sony Files Universal Game Controller Patent

Sony has filed for a universal video game console controller. The patent, which was filed in August 2008 and appeared online this February, would be very useful as it will be a universal controller that would be able to work with a variety of game consoles.

The controller for which patent is applied uses a touch sensitive liquid crystal display (LCD) in place of the conventional buttons that would present different button layouts depending on the type of console it is connected to. Like a Nintendo console would pull up a Nintendo controller layout, a Microsoft console would pull up a Microsoft controller layout and likewise a PlayStation console would pull up a PlayStation controller layout.

The controller will also have a speaker and rumble and it is designed in such a manner that will allow it to work with older consoles and function as a virtual keyboard. Other features that the device may offer include wireless operation, vibration feedback and internal storage.

Patenting Sorghum genes, a fatal issue

Tanzania is seeking justice to court to prevent the US and Brazilian governments along with two other multinational firms, from patenting a sorghum gene which is isolated from Tanzanian origin.

The patent application was filed on May 17, 2007. Sorghum gene obtained from the strain of has been proved to be acid-aluminium tolerant. The gene was assigned to the US as represented by the secretary of agriculture, Washington DC. Patenting this crop is not only fatal to human race but also violates international treaties as it would also increase local food prices.

The crop is covered by Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the Tanzanian farmers' variety, is held in trust under the treaty by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India.

The treaty prohibits patent claims on the varieties and genes of plants held in trust, putting legality of the patent claims at question. The aluminium-tolerant plant was obtained through the genetic transformation of the wild types with a root citrate efflux transporter activates the level of protein function and thus enhances tolerance to aluminium.

The patenting of the Tanzania sorghum gene called -- the sorghum bicolor multidrug and the toxic compound extrusion transfer (SbMATE) is the gene IS7173, which is expected to generate $680 million annually. Most importantly the gene is not only useful in sorghum, but also in other crops, including genetically engineered maize, wheat and rice as well GE tree plantations.

Preventing commercialization of basic foods will cause harm to millions of poor people who are dependent on this crop for their survival.

Mahabaleshwar strawberries to get GI status

The All India Strawberry Growers Association and about 1,300 s strawberry cultivators from Mahabaleshwar have applied for a Geographical Indications registration.

Mahabaleshwar is the largest strawberry producing area in India. The producers from this area have applied for GI status as producers from other regions of India are selling the fruit under their brand.

This strawberry will henceforth be known as ‘Mahabaleshwari Strawberry’. Mahabaleshwar produces 20,000 tonnes of strawberry a year. Currently, there are 1,500 to 1,600 farmers who cultivate strawberry in the Mahabaleshwar area.
A GI status for the Mahabaleshwar strawberry will help its growers to get better prices for this juicey fruit in the domestic and overseas markets. The GI status which is due in about 3-4 months will ensure that every box of original Mahabaleshwar strawberries will have a hologram guarantying its genuineness.