Issues 96, September 2011

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Editorial

The Power of IP
What’s the point of protecting intellectual property? Christine Emmanuel outlines its origins and her experiences in the science IP profession.

Scientific Innovation in Australia
Australians can be proud of inventions like the Victa lawn mower and the cochlear implant, but how does our scientific innovation fare in a global sense? Changes to Australian patent law aim to help researchers and innovators achieve success in their own country.

Biological Patent Amendment:
Good Intentions, Unnecessary Risk
Dangerous uncharted waters lie ahead if our politicians vote to support the proposed amendment of Australia’s Patents Act to ban patents on biological materials and genes.

Patent Amendment Bill Does Not Address Community Concerns
The Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill was introduced to the Senate late last year and immediately referred to a new Senate Inquiry. The Bill’s contents have escalated concerns about this long-running and complex debate.

The Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill:
No Barrier to Biotech Patenting
In late July, the Court of Appeals for the US Federal Circuit held that human genes are patentable subject matter. The ramifications of this decision have yet to be felt in Australia. Are our politicians prepared to stand up to the biotechnology industry and pass the Bill into law?

It’s Time Big Pharma Took Its Medicine
Philip Soos proposes a new system whereby the government directly finances research and development, and all drugs are produced as generics at market-competitive prices.

Intellectual Property:
Protecting Your Valuable Assets
The first step to protecting your creative and intellectual effort is to identify and classify your intellectual property to determine the most appropriate way to protect it.

The Importance of Good Laboratory Notebook Practice
Take note: poor laboratory notebook documentation could cost you! Your laboratory notebooks can be critical in establishing your rights to an invention.

The Wrongs of Copyright
What is copyright and who really benefits from it? The open access alternative challenges the rationale of copyright and side-steps powerful interests.

New Plant Varieties: How Can You Protect Your Investment?
Public and private sector individuals invest many hours and large sums of money developing new crop varieties, but how do they protect those investments?

Smarter than Smartphones?
New technology is untangling the complex network of patents at the centre of a litigation war between smartphone companies.

Do Patents Alter the Direction of Scientific Inquiry? Evidence from a Survey of Academic Scientists
Nearly half of the academic scientists in a recent study reported that their choice of research projects had been affected by the presence of other parties’ patents.