British ruling supports legal challenge to broad patents

New court ruling may alter the legal landscape for gene patents.

and Trademark Of fice, Judge Robert Sweet struck down several patents for genes associated with susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer.1 He found that they protect information, not inventions, and therefore fail to meet the criteria for patent validity. The ruling would negate most existing patents on genes and prevent the approval of future ones. The suit was brought by the American Civil...

Legal ruling leads to 'light touch' review of resuscitation rules.

Biomarkers unbound--the Supreme Court's ruling on diagnostic-test patents.

id=1648013). Copyright © 2012 Massachusetts Medical Society Biomarkers Unbound

Legal Responses to the Challenges of Sports Patents

A METHOD OF PUTTING FEATURES THE GOLFER’S DOMINANT HAND SO THAT THE GOLFER CAN IMPROVE CONTROL OVER PUTTING SPEED AND DIRECTION. THE GOLFER’S NON-DOMINANT HAND STABILIZES THE DOMINANT HAND AND THE ORIENTATION OF THE PUTTER BLADE, BUT DOES NOT OTHERWISE SUBSTANTIALLY INTERFERE WITH THE PUTTING STROKE. IN PARTICULAR, A RIGHT-HANDED GOLFER GRIPS THE PUTTER GRIP WITH THEIR [SIC] RIGHT HAND IN A CON...

Unresolved Legal Questions about Patents and Standard Setting

This column will be one of several concerning presently unresolved legal issues that arise in connection with standard setting and the licensing or enforcement of patents that cover some aspect of the standard. Resolving these issues might require standard-setting organizations to adopt appropriate bylaws. Or companies participating in standards setting might have to submit letters of agreement...