Pattoo - patent

USPTO Outsourcing Again!

Dave — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:27:04 -0400

The Washington Business Journal is reporting that the USPTO is outsourcing its classification for $138 million.

Reston-based SI will provide the patent office with patent classification services to support the office in examining, granting and disseminating patents and trademarks.

You may remember that the USPTO is also outsourcing the examination of international applications. I wonder what will be next.

The Tax Patent Cometh

Dave — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 10:09:32 -0400

Business-Method patents strike again. Fortune, via CNN Money, writes about the tax patent trend.

In recent years, the Patent Office has begun granting patents to people who claim to have invented novel ways of avoiding taxes. The trend is part of a larger explosion in the number of patents granted to financial firms for so-called "business method" innovations. So far, 48 patents for tax reduction strategies have been granted and at least another 61 applications are pending.

read more

Wikipedia is Toilet Paper?

Dave — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:08:46 -0400

Greg Aharonian, whose only credentials seems to be that he writes a newsletter criticizing the patent system, calls Wikipedia toilet paper. From the Wall Street Journal Law Blog is this quote from Patents Commisioner John Doll:

“The problem with Wikipedia is that it’s constantly changing.” Doll says the agency used Wikipedia entries as background and not as the basis for deciding on an application. A PTO spokesperson attributed inquiries from Business Week for the shift in policy.

Sticky Patent

Dave — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 22:05:44 -0400

I thought chewing gum already helped freshen ones breath. At least it worked for me. Apparently, Wrigely thought the current gum lineup didn't go far enough in combating halitosis. NutraIngredients.com has an article about the patent.

Wrigley, who own the brands Juicy Fruit, Extra and Doublemint, claim the gum is an improvement on existing brands as contains enough flavour to mask any unpalatable taste.

The patent, 7,087,255, entitled "Chewing gums that provide breath freshening characteristics" puts it this way in the abstract . . .

Bird Flu Fight

Dave — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 10:26:20 -0400

United States health officials, seeking to be an example for other countries and trying to grow flu research, have placed the genetic information of more than 650 flu viruses into a public database. According to deseretnews.com in the article entitled "Poor countries may patent bird virus strains",

Poorer countries where bird flu is spreading may patent individual strains of the virus as a way to help them negotiate lower prices for vaccines and treatments. The plan is being advanced by a new program, announced today, that urges participating countries to place genetic information about their individual bird flu strains into central databases in return for rights that will allow the countries to control who uses the data.

read more

Patent Top Ten

Dave — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 10:19:55 -0400

Cambia Patent Lens has put together what they call a "Patent Top Ten". The list answers many questions one might have about patents and concentrates on common misconceptions people often have of patents.

1. There is NO such thing as an international patent.

2. Patent applications are NOT the same as granted patents.

Chinese Patent Fair

Dave — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 19:42:51 -0400

According to Wikipedia . . .

Dalian is the governing sub-provincial city in the eastern Liaoning Province of northeastern China. It is China's northernmost ice-free seaport.

The coastal city of Dalian is where the China International Patent Fair 2006 is located.

Professor Ping from Peking and the Patent Group

Dave — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 17:02:37 -0400

I don't know much about Chinese IP law and/or practices. However, a Professor Ping from Peking wants a reduction in Patent Fees from Philips.

The 3C DVD Patent Group owns most of the patents related to the DVD technology, and Professor Zhang is accusing Philips of charging expensive patent fees from Chinese DVD manufacturers.

With a lot of DVD players under $50, I wonder how much the Patent Group has been charging?

Patents: It's What's for Dinner?

Dave — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:17:48 -0400

Next time you watch David Letterman, host of the self-proclaimed "America's Fastest Growing Quiz Sensation" that includes "Know Your Cuts of Meat", you might see a steak with a patent number seared on it. Why? Japan is patenting cow genes.

Japan has decided to protect Japanese beef as its intellectual property by patenting the Japanese cow genes and monitoring semen stock distribution with bar-codes. The agriculture ministry says that it found there is no international law to prohibit the stock from flowing out to foreign countries for hybridization and reverse import.

Women, Patents and Life

Dave — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:56:48 -0400

Say it ain't so. Physorg.com says this . . .

University of California-Berkeley Assistant Professor Waverly Ding says such women life scientists patent their work at a rate of 40 percent of that of their male peers.

The first question I have is . . . why? If you are a life scientist (much respect to ya), you've accomplished a few things in life, and should know a few things about life such as . . . . patents. Hmmmmm.