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Intellectual Property Law

University of Washington School of Law

Journal

1994

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Law

Lost And Foundry: Forging A New Approach To Patent Licensing Agreements, Lawrence D. Graham Jul 1994

Lost And Foundry: Forging A New Approach To Patent Licensing Agreements, Lawrence D. Graham

Washington Law Review

The Federal Circuit has been inconsistent in its treatment of patent licensing agreements held by foundries. Recently, the Federal Circuit held that a foundry contract is a sale of goods that severs the right of the patentee with respect to the buyer under the patent exhaustion doctrine. In addition, it held that the applicable license would be construed to allow foundry rights unless the patentee could prove otherwise. This Note analyzes a string of Federal Circuit cases involving foundries and patent licenses. It concludes that a foundry contract should be viewed as a sale of services rather than a sale …


Revision Of The Japanese Patent And Utlility Model System, Nobuo Monya, Marvin Motsenbocker, Hiroki Mitsumata Jun 1994

Revision Of The Japanese Patent And Utlility Model System, Nobuo Monya, Marvin Motsenbocker, Hiroki Mitsumata

Washington International Law Journal

As part of the international harmonization of industrial property rights, in the summer of 1992 a U.S. advisory committee published recommendations concerning revisions to the patent system. The Industrial Property Council of Japan also published a report at the end of 1992 concerning revisions to the patent law and utility model law. Soon thereafter the U.S. administration in Washington changed, and the U.S. position on patent law harmonization became unclear. Japan, however, enacted its report into legislation. Japan revised the relevant parts of its Patent Law (Law No. 26 of 1993) on April 16, 1993, and the revisions were promulgated …


Vagueness And Enforceability: Potential Problems Of The 1991 Thai Trademark Act, Sakda Thanitcul Jun 1994

Vagueness And Enforceability: Potential Problems Of The 1991 Thai Trademark Act, Sakda Thanitcul

Washington International Law Journal

In 1991, Thailand adopted a new Trademark Act, which, among other goals, increased protection of trademark and service mark agreements. However, enforcement of these new rules has not been clearly defined. In the first portion of this article, the author examines the new rules for trademark agreements in Thailand. These rules give extensive discretion to the Thai Registrar, yet have potential problems in enforcing standards such as quality control. The next section examines Thai public policy, and analyzes how other industrialized nations enforce their policies on trademarks. Finally, the article recommends that Thailand increase quality control, and more carefully define …


Software Copyright Infringement Claims After Mai Systems V. Peak Computer, Trinnie Arriola Apr 1994

Software Copyright Infringement Claims After Mai Systems V. Peak Computer, Trinnie Arriola

Washington Law Review

In MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc. the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Peak committed copyright infringement by running MAI operating system software incidental to Peak's repair of the computer system. The court rejected Peak's section 117 defense under the Copyright Act because it refused to recognize a licensee of computer software as an "owner" of a copy of software. This Note argues that the decision contravenes both the substance and principles of federal copyright law, and unnecessarily harms computer owners. It suggests a two-tiered analysis that courts should follow when evaluating copyright infringement claims involving software …


The Wright Enabling Disclosure For Biotechnology Patents, Karen S. Canady Apr 1994

The Wright Enabling Disclosure For Biotechnology Patents, Karen S. Canady

Washington Law Review

The disclosure in a patent specification must enable others to make and use the claimed invention. In the competitive biotechnology industry, companies often seek broad claims to protect contemplated embodiments of their inventions that have not yet been reduced to practice. In In re Wright, the Federal Circuit recently challenged this approach when it upheld the rejection, for lack of enablement, of all but the narrowest claims to a vaccine genetically engineered to protect against retroviruses. This decision unreasonably elevates the established standard for enablement by limiting biotechnological patent protection to only those embodiments of a claimed invention whose success …