Laptop Battery In a victory for companies that develop genetically modified plants, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that seeds and seed-grown plants can be patented.
laptop computers is driving strong sales for notebook computers, according to the latest quarterly sales figures from the research firm IDC, which reported a 37% computer sales for the second quarter, compared with a year earlier. In the U.S., laptop sales grew 17.7%, while sales of desktop computers and servers fell 4%. The New York Times ( 10), CNET ( 10)
Thinkpad The 6-2 ruling, which upheld a court of appeals decision, strengthens the intellectual property rights of the nation's largest seed biotechnology companies.
According to the indictment, Jones would steal various IBM and Penguin computer servers from Verisign's warehouse in Virginia and sell them to Johnson. Johnson would then sell the servers to several individuals, who would sometimes place them for sale on eBay. As a result of this scheme, the indictment alleges that Jones and Johnson caused Verisign to lose more than $120, 000 worth of computer equipment. In the indictment, Jones and Johnson are charged in three counts with causing the interstate transportation of stolen property, namely IBM 330 and 335 servers, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
Microsoft If these protections had been struck down, companies such as DuPont, Monsanto Co. and Sygenta would have seen hundreds of patents invalidated or restricted, giving other companies and farmers access to their technology without having to pay for it. "We have spent hundreds of millions, if not billions, to bring forth our products, some biotech solutions, some not," said Monsanto spokeswoman Lori Fisher. The court "clearly wanted to protect the rights of investors."
On 29 March 2001 a Canadian judge dealt a crushing blow to Farmers' Rights by ruling that Percy Schmeiser, a third generation Saskatchewan farmer, must pay Monsanto thousands of dollars for violating the Gene Giant's monopoly patent on genetically modified canola seed. Under Canadian patent law, as in the US and many other industrialized countries, use patented seed, or to grow Monsanto's GM seed without signing a licensing agreement. If the Gene Giants and US Trade Reps get their way, every nation in the world will be forced to adopt patent laws that make seed saving illegal. The ruling against Schmeiser establishes an even more dangerous precedent because it means that farmers can be forced to pay royalties on GM seeds found on their land, even if they didn't buy the seeds, or benefit from them.
Laptop Computers With biotechnology advancing at a rapid pace, the ruling sends a signal that the nation's highest court is taking a tough stance on intellectual property rights in every industry, said analyst Donald Carlson of J.P. Morgan.
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Laptop Computer The U.S. Patent Office has granted patents to plants for 16 years.
Small firms need to be aware of their rights under copyright law, according to the Patent Office. A study by the Patent Office shows that many small firms do not understand the rules relating to ownership of copyright, a confusion that could lead to a loss of their intellectual property (IP) rights. Unless otherwise written into a contract, contractor, when developing software for a company, will hold ownership of the IP.
Desktop Computer To date, more than 1,800 patents have been issued for plants and plant parts.
Notebooks J.E.M. Ag Supply, an Iowa seed firm, brought the legal challenge after it was sued for patent infringement by DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred unit for reselling 17 patented varieties of its corn.
Lenovo J.E.M. had argued that because hybrids are not mentioned in the Plant Protection Act, these products are regulated by the Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970, a less restrictive certificate program administered by the Department of Agriculture.
Hard Drive Putting regulation under that program would have hurt biotech companies because it would not have allowed Pioneer and other seed companies to collect licensing fees for seeds used in research or for seeds that farmers collected from their fields and replanted.
Travelstar Justices struck down J.E.M.'s argument, saying that because seed-grown plants qualify for the less-restrictive USDA certificate program doesn't mean they can't be patented.
Gateway "Denying patent protection simply because such coverage was thought technologically infeasible in the 1930s, however, would be inconsistent with the forward-looking perspective of the utility patent statute," said Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the court's majority.
Laptop Parts But critics say the ruling perpetuates a system that slows the pace and diversity of research and punishes farmers by driving up costs.
Software But biotechnology proponents claim that protecting the profits of these firms ensures that new, more efficient varieties of plants will keep coming to market.
Hard Drives "Intellectual property rights are every bit as important to the seed industry as they are to the software industry," said analyst Donald Carlson of J.P. Morgan in New York. "If your competitor can quickly [come out with a new product] by stealing your germ plasm, your advantage in the marketplace is substantially diminished."
Electronics "Intellectual property rights are every bit as important to the seed industry as they are to the software industry."
Canon By Melinda Fulmer
Los Angeles Times - 12/11/2001
Topic: Genetic Engineering
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