Law Commons^™

Blame It On Rio: Biodiscovery, Native Title, And Traditional Knowledge, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer

This article examines the legal responses to protect traditional knowledge of biodiversity in the wake of the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity. It considers the relative merits of the inter-locking regimes of contract law, environmental law, intellectual property law, and native title law. Part 1 considers the natural drug discovery industry in Australia. In particular, it looks at the operations of Amrad, Astra Zeneca R & D, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. This section examines the key features of the draft regulations proposed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) - model contracts, informed consent, …

Patent First, Ask Questions Later: Morality And Biotechnology In Patent Law, Margo A. Bagley

William & Mary Law Review

This Article explores the U.S. "patent first, ask questions later" approach to determining what subject matter should receive patent protection. Under this approach, the US. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or the Agency) issues patents on "anything under the sun made by man," and to the extent a patent's subject matter is sufficiently controversial, Congress acts retrospectively in assessing whether patents should issue on such inventions. This practice has important ramifications for morally controversial biotechnology patents specifically, and for American society generally. For many years ajudicially created "moral utility" doctrine served as a type of gatekeeper of patent subject matter …

Curbing The Federal Circuit's Enthusiasm: An Argument For A Rebuttable Presumption Against Application Of The Doctrine Of Equivalents To Disclosed But Unclaimed Subject Matter, Jeffrey M. Connor

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Franklin Barley: Patent Law And Plant Breeders' Rights, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer

The Attack Of The Clones: Patent Law And Stem Cell Research, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer

This article considers the integral role played by patent law in respect of stem cell research. It highlights concerns about commercialization, access to essential medicines and bioethics. The article maintains that there is a fundamental ambiguity in the Patents Act 1990 (Cth) as to whether stem cell research is patentable subject matter. There is a need to revise the legislation in light of the establishment of the National Stem Cell Centre and the passing of the Research Involving Embryos Act 2002 (Cth). The article raises concerns about the strong patent protection secured by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Geron …

The International Law Of Business Method Patents, John M. Conley

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Genentech And The Stolen Gene: Patent Law And Pioneer Inventions, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer

This paper evaluates the litigation over the biotechnology patent dispute between the University of California and Genentech. First it outlines the scientific work behind the cloning of the human growth hormone, and looks at the patent office, and its treatment of biotechnological inventions. Second, it considers the court room dispute, and the legal case of the University of California and the biotechnology company in this dispute. Finally, it considers the implications of this dispute for policy reform in respect of patent law and biotechnology.

In Defense Of Geographic Disparity, Craig Allen Nard

Faculty Publications

A response to Margo A. Bagley, Patently Unconstitutional: The Geographical Limitation on Prior Art in a Small World, 87 Minn. L. Rev. 679 (2003).

Beyond Blue Gene: Intellectual Property And Bioinformatics, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer