GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

GI TAG FOR KOLHAPURI CHAPPALS

Karnataka and Maharashtra have jointly applied for GI (geographical indication) for Kolhapuri chappals.

Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities attributed to the place of origin. A GI tag increases the brand value of the product in national and international markets.

A GI for Kolhapuri chappals would ensure that copies or duplicates of this native product cannot be marketed with the same name. And it cannot be misused by others trying to take advantage of the recognition value this chappal has. GI is governed by the Geographical Indication of Goods (registration and protection act) 1999.

TRADE SECRET

AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES WINS HPLC COLUMNS TRADE SECRETS CASE

Agilent Technologies Inc. has won its trade secrets and breach of contract case against Advanced Materials Technology, Inc. (AMT) and three of its employees in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The lawsuit filed in January 2008 by Agilent to protect confidential and proprietary information relating to its high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technology.

The court found that the individual defendants, members of AMT's senior management team, breached their employment contracts with Agilent by removing the company's property without permission and used its confidential information to benefit AMT. In particular, the court ruled that AMT illegally used Agilent trade secrets and confidential information in developing its Halo HPLC columns.

The court has ordered monetary damages to be pain to Agilent as a result of the individual defendants' willful conduct.

TRADEMARK

EU TRADEMARK FOR NAPLES PIZZA

Neapolitan pizza - the Italian city's most famous culinary is now officially part of Europe's food heritage.

This European Union trademark would protect Neapolitan pizzas from imitations. The Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) label on the Naples pizza came into effect this month.

The TSG label means that all pizza making units would be scrutinised by a special commission that will check the standards, which include using only San Marzano tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese in the pizza. The Italian farmers' association says that half of Italy's 25,000 pizzerias use the wrong ingredients, such as East European cheese or Ukrainian flour.

PATENT

WEAVERS' GROUP FILES PATENT FOR NEW WEAVING TECHNOLOGY

Sambalpuri Bastralaya Handloom Cooperative Society Ltd, a weavers' organisation from Orissa, India has applied for a patent for a wall hanging designed with a new textile weaving technology invented by one of its members.

The patent filed at the Kolkata Patent Office relates to a process for making a wall hanging using a tie-and-dye method without using a wrap. Four designs of wall hangings made by using the technology developed by Bhikari Meher, one of the weavers of the cooperative society have already been registered under Designs Act 2000.

Sambalpuri Bastralaya, one of India's biggest weavers' cooperative with more than 16,000 members is engaged in the making of Sambalpuri cloth - traditionally hand woven cloth in which the warp is tie-dyed before weaving.

Some manufacturers are copying the patterns and marketing their products worldwide with the tag-Sambalpuri textiles. The registration would guard against the illegal copying and marketing of this traditional product of Orissa.

US PATENT FOR TROIKAA PHARMA

A Gujarat based healthcare company, Troikaa Pharmaceuticals, is in the process of getting a US patent for its novel drug delivery form of Diclofenac injections-Dyanapar AQ. The proceedings at USFDA are over and the drug has been approved.

Diclofenac injections are used for treating painful inflammatory conditions, and-Dyanapar AQ-is the world's first painkiller injection which can be administered on a patient's shoulder.

A similar patent has been applied in Israel for this injection and a Eurasian patent for this injection has already been granted. The company also sought global protection for its novel product by filing a PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) application with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

PATENTING SORGHUM GENES-A FATAL ISSUE

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

The patent application was filed on May 17, 2007 at the USPTO. The gene was obtained from the variety of sorghum which has been proved to be acid-aluminium tolerant. Patenting this crop is not only fatal to human race but also violates international treaties as it would also increase local food prices in the long run.

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 type.

The gene IS7173, locally known as Msumbiji causes sorghum plants to exude levels of citrates -- a form of citric acid -- in their root tips that neutralize the toxic effect of aluminium. This gene is not only useful in sorghum, but also in other crops, including genetically engineered maize, wheat and rice as well genetically engineered tree plantations.

COPYRIGHT

NINTENDO WINS VIDEO GAME PIRACY DISPUTE

Nintendo has settled a Federal Court action against an Australia citizen for illegally copying and uploading to the Internet a not yet released Nintendo title.

On 6 November 2009, a week before the game's Australian release, New Super Mario Bros Wii for the Wii console was made available for illegal download worldwide.

The Federal Court ordered the concerned person to pay Nintendo a settlement of $1.5 million in damages as compensation for Nintendo's loss of sales revenue.

Nintendo has been effectively combating piracy for around 20 years as piracy is a major threat to Nintendo's business, including the 1400 game development companies which create games for the Nintendo platforms.