Constitutional Law

Bits and Bytes: BRCA Gene Patents
Patentable Subject Matter During Prosecution: The PTO has asked for public comments on its interim examination instructions for evaluating patent subject matter eligibility. [PTO Request][Patently-O Discussion] Breast Cancer Gene Patent Challenge: The ACLU, PUBPAT, and others continue their fight against...

"60 Minutes" Examines Gene Patenting Issue on Sunday, April 4th -- Patent Docs Author Kevin Noonan to Appear on Program
On Sunday, April 4, 2010, the CBS news program "60 Minutes" will take a look at the issue of gene patenting in a segment entitled "Patented Genes." According to the program's website, the segment will examine the question of whether "companies [should] be able to own human genes," and "the idea of biotech firms patenting genes for profit" (a preview of the program and video clip can be found here) Patent Docs author Dr...

USPTO Asks out of Gene Patenting Case (Again)
By Kevin E. Noonan -- Several weeks ago, U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet denied the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's motion to dismiss the ACLU-sponsored lawsuit aiming for a human gene patenting ban (see "BRCA Patent Suit to Continue in Southern District of New York")...

ACLU sues the US patent office
In a suit in SD NY, captioned Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, et al., attorneys from the ACLU and PubPat go after patents to Myriad which involve BRCA...

No Fooling Around with New Patent Blog
Gene Quinn, Jr., the force behind the Patent Briefs at the Practicing Law Institute, has struck out in a new venture.  Gene has now brought us a new patent blog, PatentFools.com.  PatentFools is described thusly: The point of PatentFools is to try and identify wrongs, articulate positions, influence decision-makers and have some fun saving the [...

Gene Patent(s) Invalidated:
When I teach the patent law material in my Introductory Intellectual Property class, we discuss the (very fundamental) principle that ?naturally-occurring? things are not patentable subject matter ? that patents only cover creations springing from the human mind...

Zantac Patent
GlaxoSmithKline and Cypress Pharmaceutical settle patent infringement dispute.

Soliris Patent
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. agrees to pay the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation a $10 million patent infringement settlement.

DRAM Patent
ProMOS Technologies and Mosel Vitelic pay MOSAID Technologies an undisclosed patent infringement settlement.

Sony
to Pay $18.5 Million For Patent Infringment

Qualcomm Settles Patent Suit for $891 Million

The Princeton Review
$2.6 million settlement reached in patent infringement case.