28th January, 2011

Uttar Pradesh government seeks GI for five products

The state government of Uttar Pradesh has filed Geographical Indication (GI) applications for five products originating from the state. The Ferozabad glassware, Kannauj perfume, Kanpur saddlery, Saharanpur woodwork and Moradabad metal craft are the products for which the application wais filed under the Geographical Indication Act, 1999.

Ferozabad glassware with an ancient history traced back to the time of King Akbar and the industry started with manufacture of bangles and small bottles is unique, as these bangles and other glass articles, like decorative lights, candle stands, flower vases do not have joints.

 Kannauj perfume (known as “attar”) also dates back to the Mughal period. Kannauj rightly called the perfume capital of India has been known for natural attars, with the Mugal queen Noorjahan instrumental in developing the process for the preparation of attar from Roses. Kanauj perfume industry is a vast industry which brings in revenue for the Uttar Pradesh government.

The Kanpur Saddler, Saharanpur woodwork and Mordabad metal craft are the other products for which the GI protection is sought to prevent manufacturing and supply of these goods by unauthorized people.

Glenmark loses hypertension drug patent case to Abbott

Glenmark, an Indian drug firm has lost a patent case against US-based pharma company, Abbott Laboratories over a hypertension drug - Tarka. A US jury directed it to stop selling the drug, ‘Tarka’, in the country.

Rejecting Glenmark’s challenge to the validity of the Tarka patent that expires in February 2015, a five-member federal jury in Newark, New Jersey, has directed Glenmark to pay about $16 million (Rs 70 crore) in damages to Abbott for selling the drug ‘at risk’. Glenmark had disputed that the patent covered an invention which was protected by an expired patent.

Glenmark, which had a 180-day exclusive sales prospect in the US upon patent expiry of this drug, was expecting to get $5-7 million every quarter from the sale of Tarka. The Indian company had launched a copy of Tarka in June last year after a US court refused Abbott’s petition seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent Glenmark from selling the drug in the US. The US Food and Drug Administration had also approved Glenmark’s generic version in May.

The original patent on Tarka was held by French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis and was later sold to Abbott. Abbott had paid $290 million for an exclusive licence to Tarka and is seeking a total of $25 million as recompense for the loss in profit because of Glenmark's sale of the generic drug. Glenmark, which now has the choice of appealing against the decision with the US District Court of New Jersey has been selling the generic version even as the issue continues.

Apple Sues Nokia Over Scrolling Technology Patent

The Cupertino, California-based computer giant Apple Inc. has filed a lawsuit in London's High Court against phone-maker Nokia in the UK, alleging infringement of a patent related to scrolling technology on touch screen handsets.

Since 2009, the world’s biggest makers of mobile phones, Nokia and Apple have been in a patent dispute covering patents in the US, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Nokia has filed lawsuits against Apple alleging infringement of 37 patents.

Apple – the maker of the iPad tablet and iPhone alleges that Nokia is using the infringement suits to force access to the iPhone's technology. Apple claims that one of the Finnish company’s European patents for scrolling technology on touch-screen handsets is invalid. The lawsuit challenges one of seven Nokia patents cited against Apple in a September 2010 lawsuit in Germany.

Music industry to create global copyright database

The British music industry is working to create a global database on song rights to ease and fasten the marketing of new online music services and to fight piracy. The industry approximates that nearly 100 million euros could be saved every year in copyright administration fees and returned to song writers and the industry by simplifying the existing system.

Music labels and publishers have labored hard to license their music on different platforms including mobile networks, mobile handsets, websites, Internet service providers and pay-TV groups. The intricate procedure makes it difficult for new services to get launched, as a new offering has to sign licensing agreements with the many groups that hold the recording rights and the music publishing rights.

Payments have to be made to all the song writers on each track every time a song is played on the radio, in adverts, films or online and a service that operates in different countries would also need to agree terms with the royalty collection societies of each country it operates in, making it more complicated. At present there is no database showing which publisher or song writer explicitly owns which rights.

Following input from Universal Music Publishing and EMI Publishing, some of the major royalty collection societies and retailers such as Amazon and iTunes, a global consultancy Deloitte is working to develop a global repertoire database (GRD) for the publishing industry. This database would feature which publisher or song writer owns which rights and would be fully functional within the next 18 months to 2 years.

SkyWire Media Acquires IP Assets of Intermagine

A SMS mobile marketing company, SkyWire Media has acquired the intellectual property assets from Intermagine, a developer of content for mobile devices including the iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows mobile and BlackBerry, to enhance the utilities.

The assets are of relevance to the mobile hospitality sector and would match and expand SkyWire's existing set of products. The technology acquisition was tied with the hiring of Intermagine's CTO, Tony Caporrici, who will serve as SkyWire's new VP of Mobile Strategies.

SkyWire has been obtaining these application programming interfaces like the interfaces of a hospitality network. Companies now are looking for integrated offerings that can provide a social network while ensuring that data and transactions are compliant with security policies. properties. This acquisition would give an absolute and capable mobile solution while decreasing complexity and cost for the mobile-centric users- the customers and vendors.

Zynga issues Cease & Desist to protect "Ville" trademark

Zynga, the popular Facebook game developer has issued a cease and desist order against Blingville, for its game of the same name. Zynga claims that the "ville" suffix infringes on its trademark.

With demands from Zynga to cease using the term ‘ville’ West Virginia-based Social gaming firm Blingville is seeking a judge to rule that it is not infringing on any trademarks with a game using the word. The firm has sent papers to its district court to block any legal action.

The social gaming giant Zynga had sent several legal notices to Blingville, to drop the term ‘ville’ in its games. But Blingville alleges that Zynga does not own, and has not registered or applied for, any trademark registrations in the word ‘Blingville’ or any similar words. Zynga has become one of the fastest-growing digital companies in the world making money from games that use the term ‘ville’; from Farmville to Cityville to Frontierville.

Blingville claims that its use of the term is fair. The studio also expects Zynga to take legal action, and wants the Farmville owner to pay attorney fees and other expenses if a lawsuit begins.