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The Empire Of Cancer: Gene Patents And Cancer Voices, Matthew Rimmer
The Empire Of Cancer: Gene Patents And Cancer Voices, Matthew Rimmer
Matthew Rimmer
In his book, The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee writes a history of cancer — ‘It is a chronicle of an ancient disease — once a clandestine, “whispered-about” illness — that has metamorphosed into a lethal shape-shifting entity imbued with such penetrating metaphorical, medical, scientific, and political potency that cancer is often described as the defining plague of our generation’.Increasingly, an important theme in the history of cancer is the role of law, particularly in the field of intellectual property law. It is striking that a number of contemporary policy debates over intellectual property and public health have concerned …
A Submission To The House Of Representatives Standing Committee On Social Policy And Legal Affairs On The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 2013 (Cth), Matthew Rimmer
Matthew Rimmer
The amendments contained in the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 2013 (Cth) are designed to provide safeguards in relation to patent law and the public interest.In the 2012 case on plain packaging, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, Robert French, emphasized that the role of intellectual property law is to promote public objectives. His Honour observed: ‘There are and always have been purposive elements reflecting public policy considerations which inform the statutory creation of intellectual property rights.’ Discussing the role of patent law, Chief Justice Robert French commented:The Patents Act 1990 (Cth) provides that a patent gives …