PATENT

2 NEW US PATENTS FOR SUVEN LIFE SCIENCES

Suven Life Sciences has been awarded U.S. patents US 7,781,476 and US 7,718,690 for its two new chemical entities (NCEs) used in the treatment of disorders related to neuro-degenerative disease. These patents would be valid till 2022.

The claims of the granted patents contain the class of selective 5-HT compounds discovered by Suven Life Sciences, which are being developed as therapeutic agents to be used in the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Huntington's disease, Parkinson and Schizophrenia.
The global market potential of this class of these two NCEs is estimated at $30 billion.

PFIZER PROSECUTES NOVO NORDISK

Pfizer Inc., the world's biggest drug maker, took legal action against Danish competitor Novo Nordisk in a London court to nullify its patent for an injection mechanism which prevents overdoses.

Pfizer claimed that Novo Nordisk's European patent for the dose-setting device is based on claims that were not new when the patent application was filed. The Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based Novo Nordisk however has opposed the allegations made by Pfizer.

Novo Nordisk is the world's biggest maker of the diabetes treatment insulin. The device in question allows the doctors to set maximum dose limits that will prevent the visually impaired and other groups from using too much during self injections.
Novo Nordisk was also sued by Pfizer in Switzerland over the same patent, which is set to expire in 2026.

TRADEMARK

RANBAXY ISSUED NOTICE IN CAPSOLA TRADEMARK CASE

Ranbaxy, Parth Parental and two other pharma companies have been issued notice by the Supreme Court of India on a petition filed by RFCL (Ranbaxy Fine Chemicals Limited) in a dispute over the trademark for animal feed supplement Capsola.

RFCL had challenged an order of the Delhi High Court, which had allowed the Gujarat-based firm Parth Parental, to manufacture and sell animal feed supplement under the Capsola mark. RFCL had bought the entire animal health division from Ranbaxy in September, 2005 and thus, claims to be the owner of Capsola. Capsola was originally adopted as trademark by Ranbaxy in 1986 for animal feed and branded animal feed supplement and it was transferred to RFCL in 2005.

Prior to the sale of Capsola, Ranbaxy and Parth Parental had an agreement to manufacture the animal feed and supply it to the former. Ranbaxy had given a license to Parth Parental to use Capsola.

The High Court had stayed Parth Parental from selling Capsola trademark, which was finally vacated in May 2010 and it was allowed to sell under the same trademark. The court had found that there was no assignment of this trademark from Ranbaxy to RFCL. Parth Parental had purchased the same from RFCL and thus is the assignee and registered owner of trademark Capsola.

The next hearing is due on November 16 this year.

INDIAN FIRM AND MONTBLANC IN PEN ROW

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Delhi High Court to settle the trademark infringement dispute between German luxury brand Montblanc Simplo GMBH and ADD Corporation, a Mumbai-based firm which sells its pens under the brand ''ADD'', within 3 months.

The High Court had earlier restrained ADD from selling its pen after the Montblanc alleged that ADD had infringed its registered trademarks on --''Starwalker'', ''Miesterstruck'' and ''three-ring device''. ADD had launched Add Gel Spacewalker and Add Gel Goldtop, which was objected by Montblanc as it had used ''three-ring device'' in it. ADD challenged this order before the apex court claiming that Montblanc cannot claim its ''three-ring device'' as a trademark.

ADD Corporation’s range of pens are priced at Rs 200 and Rs 340, whereas the Montblanc''s Starwalker range sold under trademark Meisterstick costs about Rs 14,000. ADD claims that besides the price, the packaging and design including the customers for the two pens were different and hence there was no infringement of trademark.

SCUFFLE OVER THE WORD 'POD'

Apple has presented a filing to the United States Patent and Trademark Office against Sector Labs to prevent it from using the word 'pod'. Apple contented that Sector Labs' video projector, Video Pod, could confuse its customers.

Apple its initial motion claimed that this start-up company has intentionally chosen a mark confusingly similar to its iPod mark in order to capitalize on the fame and goodwill of its established mark.

A decision is this case is expected in January next year.

GENERAL IPR

WIPO LAUNCHES WIPO LEX

WIPO has launched WIPO Lex, an online global intellectual property (IP) reference resource, which would provide information on all the national IP laws and treaties of WIPO, WTO and UN member states. This "one stop search facility" contains the complete IP legal texts from over 60 jurisdictions and substantial coverage of the IP landscape in a further 100 jurisdictions.

"WIPO Lex offers easy and direct access to a rich source of general and member state-specific legal information and is a valuable research tool for policymakers, researchers, users of the IP system and the general public," said Francis Gurry, WIPO's director general. "WIPO Lex has enabled us, for the first time, to consolidate the IP laws of member states and IP treaties and to make them available in a detailed and fully searchable format."

This new system will be integrated into WIPO GOLD, an online portal into public IP data which was launched earlier this year.

WIPO AND OMAN SIGN TECHNICAL DEAL

A technical cooperation deal has been signed between the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Public Authority for Craft Industries (PACI), Oman. This deal would considerably benefit students of craft training centres in the sultanate.

The agreement was signed in Geneva by Shaikha Aysha bint Khalfan bin Jumayel Al Siyabiyah, Chairperson of PACI and Francis Gurry, the WIPO Director-General. This programme would support the sultanate's efforts to draft a national strategy for intellectual property. WIPO would assist the sultanate by providing technical support to protect its traditional knowledge and organise technical training courses and programmes in IP..