This book is a highly readable and entertaining account of the co-evolution of the patent system and the life science industries since the mid-19th century. The pharmaceutical industries have their origins in advances in synthetic chemistry and in natural products research. Both approaches to drug discovery and business have shaped patent law, as have the lobbying activities of the firms involved and their supporters in the legal profession. In turn, patent law has impacted on the life science industries. Compared to the first edition, which told this story for the first time, the present edition focuses more on specific businesses, products and technologies, including Bayer, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, aspirin, penicillin, monoclonal antibodies and polymerase chain reaction. Another difference is that this second edition also looks into the future, addressing new areas such as systems biology, stem cell research, and synthetic biology, which promises to enable scientists to OC inventOCO life forms from scratch.

Intellectual property (IP) is a key component of the life sciences, one of the most dynamic and innovative fields of technology today. At the same time, the relationship between IP and the life sciences raises new public policy dilemmas. The Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and the Life Sciences comprises contributions by leading experts from academia and industry to provide in-depth analyses of key topics including pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and genes, plant innovations, stem cells, the role of competition law and access to medicines. The Research Handbook focuses on the relationship between IP and the life sciences in Europe and the United States, complemented by country-specific case studies on Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Kenya, South Africa and Thailand to provide a truly international perspective.

Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences, Second Edition provides an overview of the key international and European IP legislation, complementing the book's central theme of monopoly protection. The book now features coverage from 20 jurisdictions, exploring topics as small molecules, secondary patents, DNA and biologicals, patent enforcement, compulsory licensing, branding and designs, counterfeiting and know-how protection, and SPCs in personalised medicine.

This text examines the international agreements governing trade in genetic resources - crucial resources for world agriculture, food security and large industries such as pharmaceuticals. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in these resources are critical for those involved in the trade, including industry and developing countries. The book analyzes the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), World Trade Organization agreements and other agreements. It explains how they can be integrated into an equitable training regime.

As technological developments multiply around the globeâ€"even as the patenting of human genes comes under serious discussionâ€"nations, companies, and researchers find themselves in conflict over intellectual property rights (IPRs). Now, an international group of experts presents the first multidisciplinary look at IPRs in an age of explosive growth in science and technology. This thought-provoking volume offers an update on current international IPR negotiations and includes case studies on software, computer chips, optoelectronics, and biotechnologyâ€"areas characterized by high development cost and easy reproducibility. The volume covers these and other issues: Modern economic theory as a basis for approaching international IPRs. U.S. intellectual property practices versus those in Japan, India, the European Community, and the developing and newly industrializing countries. Trends in science and technology and how they affect IPRs. Pros and cons of a uniform international IPRs regime versus a system reflecting national differences.

Dr Rimmer s book is a marvellous introduction to a crucial topic of our time. He writes engagingly, provocatively and always with good humour. A highly technical and complex area of law has been reduced to clear descriptions and searching analysis. Truly, this is an important book on an essential topic that will help define the ethics of a future that includes nothing less than the future of our species. From the foreword by the Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, the High Court of Australia . . . the author has done an excellent job by explaining the subject in an open and accessible manner. This book is a timely and very thought-provoking analysis of patent law and biotechnology. . . The book is a unique theoretical contribution to the controversial public debate over commercialization of biological inventions. . . there is an extensive bibliography. . . a valuable resource for further reading. The book will be of prime interest to lawyers and patent attorneys, scientists and researchers, business managers and technology transfer specialists. Journal of Intellectual Property Rights Rimmer s book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the issues and debate related to biological inventions, regardless of which side the reader is on. Stefan M. Miller, Journal of Commercial Biotechnology . . . this book gives an excellent account of the most celebrated biotechnology cases from three continents, and for this alone is to be thoroughly recommended. David Rogers, European Intellectual Property Review Rimmer has put a great deal of thought and effort into this series of chapters. For those looking at how to reform, direct and develop laws in relation to biotechnology, this book is brimming with ideas, suggestions and recommendations of what to do next. Rebecca Halford-Harrison, Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys . . . an excellent introduction to a wide range of legal thinking in an increasingly controversial and relevant area to humankind. Sharon Givoni, Australian Intellectual Property Law Bulletin Rimmer s new book is a timely and very thought-provoking analysis of patent law and biotechnology and asks a very serious question: can a 19th century patent system adequately deal with a 21st century industry? Kate McDonald, Australian Life Scientist This book documents and evaluates the dramatic expansion of intellectual property law to accommodate various forms of biotechnology from micro-organisms, plants, and animals to human genes and stem cells. It makes a unique theoretical contribution to the controversial public debate over the commercialization of biological inventions. The author also considers the contradictions between the Supreme Court of Canada rulings in respect of the Harvard oncomouse, and genetically modified canola. He explores law, policy, and practice in both Australia and New Zealand in respect to gene patents and non-coding DNA. This study charts the rebellion against the European Union Biotechnology Directive particularly in respect of Myriad Genetics BRCA1 and BRCA2 patents, and stem cell patent applications. The book also considers whether patent law will accommodate frontier technologies such as bioinformatics, haplotype mapping, proteomics, pharmacogenomics, and nanotechnology. Intellectual Property and Biotechnology will be of prime interest to lawyers and patent attorneys, scientists and researchers, business managers and technology transfer specialists.