Primary Materials

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international
local/national
cases

InternationalMove to the top of the page


Title
 		Description
1. Convention on Biological Diversity Comprehensive website dealing with every aspect of the CBD including details of the convention, convention bodies and biosafety protocol.

http://www.biodiv.org
2. WTO-WIPO Cooperation Agreement A TRIPS agreement between the World Trade Organisation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/
trips_e/wtowip_e.htm
3. WIPO's Work on Global Issues In cooperation with other international organisations, WIPO acts as a forum for debate over the links between IP and traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore.

http://www.wipo.int/globalissues/index.html
4. Development and implications of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering This report assesses the impact of EU Directive 98/44/EC on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions.

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/rpt/
2002/com2002_0545en01.pdf
5. Patent No. WO 9105855 "Modified Biological Material" - (Transgenic animals for harvesting "spare part" organs) - Imutran Ltd

 http://l2.espacenet.com/espacenet/bnsviewer?
CY=ep&LG=en&DB=EPD&PN=
WO9105855&ID=WO+++9105855A1+I+
6. Patent No. WO9216645 "Protein Production from Immortal Cells grown in vivo" - (Transgenic animals for harvesting "spare part" organs) - Imutran Ltd.

 http://l2.espacenet.com/espacenet/bnsviewer?
CY=ep&LG=en&DB=EPD&PN=
WO9216645&ID=WO+++9216645A1+I+
7. Patent No. WO9005188 "A Genetic Construct of which Protein-coding DNA comprises Introns and is designed for Protein Production in Transgenic Animals" - (Transgenic animals with the ability to produce foreign proteins in their milk) - Pharmaceuticals Proteins Ltd.

 http://l2.espacenet.com/espacenet/bnsviewer?
CY=ep&LG=en&DB=EPD&PN=
WO9005188&ID=WO+++9005188A1+I+
8. Review of the provision of Article 27.3 (B): Summary of Issues raised and the points made This paper addresses the following four areas: issues reagrding the provision of Article 27.3(b), issues arising out of the sui generies protection of plant varieties, issues arising out of the transfer of technology and information on national legislation, practices and experiences with respect to this agenda.

http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/
t/IP/C/W369.DOC
9. Memorandum prepared by the Office of UPOV on the genetic use restriction technologies Comment by UPOV on the effect of genetic use restriction technologies (GRUTs) on the sharing of benefits arising out of new plant varieties in comparison to the protection provided by the UPOV Convention.

http://www.etcgroup.org/documents/
USAvsUPOV.pdf
10. Position of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) concerning decision VI/5 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity Comment by UPOV on the need for breeders to have a system of protection.

http://www.upov.int/en/about/pdf/
gurts_11april2003.pdf
11. The Relationship Between The TRIPs Agreement and The Convention on Biological Diversity This note summarizes the issues raised by delegations in the Council for TRIPs, namely on general views on the relationship between TRIPs and CBD, patentability of genetic resources and the CBD, and the third concerns the TRIPS Agreement and prior informed consent/benefit sharing.

http://docsonline.wto.org/
(Please search for document number 02-4363)
12. Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore Documents prepared by the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on intellectual property issues and activities of the IGC can be found here.

http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/meetings/
2003/igc/index_5.htm
13. International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) This document seeks to harmonise the examination of new plant varieties.

http://www.upov.int/en/publications/tg-rom/
tg001/tg_1_3.pdf
14. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) This treaty seeks to conserve the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and is complementary with the Convention on Biological Diversity.

http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/itpgr.htm
15. Annual Report (2002) of the Council for TRIPS http://docsonline.wto.org
(please search for document number **)
16. TRIPS: Next Agenda for Developing Countries http://www.sisshyd.net/siss/conf_paper.htm
17. TRIPS material on the WTO website Provides information on IP in the WTO, news & records of the TRIPS Council's activities, and WTO's work with other relevant international organisations.

http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/
trips_e.htm
18. Documents - FTAs GRAIN has done a sample survey of bilateral agreements between developed and developing countries in five areas to see how TRIPS-plus standards are being pushed on developing countries with respect to biodiversity.

http://www.grain.org/docs/trips-plus-en.doc
19. Second Draft of the Free Trade Area of the Americas Agreement It includes a chapter on intellectual property rights, which covers, among other things, patents on life and plant breeders' rights.

http://www.ftaa-alca.org

Local/NationalMove to the top of the page


Title
 		Description
20. Republic of the Philippines Executive Order No. 247 The Republic of the Philippines Executory Order No. 247 prescribes guidelines and establishes a regulatory framework for the prospecting of biological and genetic resources.

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wgtrr/rp.htm
21. Patent No. GB 2228487A "Retroviral Vector and its use in the Production of Transgenic Animals" (Sheep clones) - National Research Development Corporation [now renamed the British Technology Group].

 http://gb.espacenet.com/search97cgi/s97is.dll?
Action=View&ViewTemplate=e/gb/en/viewer.hts&
collection=dips&SearchType=1&VdkVgwKey=GB2228487A
22. Patent No. GB 2229440A "Introducing an exogenous gene into birds" (Chicken clones) - National Research Development Corporation [now renamed British Technology Group].

 http://gb.espacenet.com/search97cgi/s97is.dll?
Action=View&ViewTemplate=e/gb/en/viewer.hts&
collection=dips&SearchType=1&VdkVgwKey=GB2229440A
23. Commission on IP Rights: Integrating Intellectual Property Rights and Development Policy Chaired by Professor John Barton, this report of the UK IPR Commission contains a comprehensive analysis of how national IPR regimes could best be designed to benefit developing countries within the context of international agreements.

http://www.iprcommission.org/graphic/documents/
final_report.htm
24. The UK Government response to the report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights: Integrating intellectual property rights and development policy Detailed response of the UK Government to each of the Commission's recommendations.

 http://www.iprcommission.org/papers/text/
govt_response/govt_response.htm
25. EU Directive The Directive 98/44/EC Of The European Parliament And Of The Council. Adopted 6 July 1998, on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions.

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/1998/
l_213/l_21319980730en00130021.pdf
26. Free Trade With Singapore: America's First Free Trade Agreement in Asia Under the terms of the treaty, Singapore agrees to enhance intellectual property protection, provide patent protection on genetically modified plants and animals, and to join the Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties.

http://ustr.gov/regions/asia-pacific/
2002-12-13-singapore_facts.pdf
27. Free Trade with Chile: Summary of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement Under the agreement, protection for US patents, trademarks and trade secrets will increase significantly.

http://ustr.gov/regions/whemisphere/samerica/
2002-12-11-chile_summary.pdf

CasesMove to the top of the page


Title
 		Description
28. Commissioner of Patents v President and Fellows of Harvard College This case concerns the application for the patent on a genetically altered mouse and its offspring.  It was held that such a patent is not allowed, on the basis that a higher life form is not patentable.

http://www.lexum.umontreal.ca/csc-scc/en/
rec/html/harvard.en.html
29. Diamond v Chakrabarty Seminal case which ruled that a live human-made microorganism is patentable subject matter.

 http://usitweb.shef.ac.uk/~zzc01ss/mable/mable2001/
v_bergner/Diamond%20v%20Chakrabarty.htm
30. Ex parte Hibberd Shows the impact of Chakrabarty in allowing for the patentability of maize plant technologies.

 http://usitweb.shef.ac.uk/~zzc01ss/mable/
mable2001/v_bergner/Ex%20p%20Hibberd.htm
31. Ex parte Allen Applied Chakrabarty and allowed patentability of polyploid oysters as they were non-naturally occuring compositions of matter.

http://usitweb.shef.ac.uk/~zzc01ss/mable/mable2001/
v_bergner/Ex%20p%20Allen.htm
32. Animal Legal Defence Fund v Quigg This case established that interest groups lack the judicial standing to challenge the declaration by the USPTO that non-human living organisms, including animals, were patentable.

Click here or the word document.
33. EPO Press Release: "Oncomouse" opposition proceedings resume at EPO Case history of the proceedings from 24/10/85 to 9/5/01.

http://www.european-patent-office.org/news/pressrel/
ch_2001_11_05_e.htm
34. Commissioner of Patents v President and Fellows of Harvard College This case concerns the application for the patent on a genetically altered mouse and its offspring. The Canadian Supreme Court held that such a patent is not allowed, on the basis that a higher life form is not patentable.

http://www.lexum.umontreal.ca/csc-scc/en/rec/html/
harvard.en.html
35. EPO grants patent for the Harvard "Oncomouse" The European Patent Office awards a patent for the Harvard "Oncomouse" but limits the breadth of the protection to only "rodents", instead of all animals, engineered using the oncomouse technology.

http://legal.european-patent-office.org/dg3/biblio/
t900019ep1.htm