MICROSOFT IN TROUBLE

Microsoft Corp. has landed itself in deep waters. The district court of Eastern Texas has given an injunction agaist MS Word. Any version of Word which can open up an custom XML file has been banned as it infringes the patent of a Canandian Comoany known as i4i.

This comes a s blow for microsoft which was planing on launching its 2010 version. Thsi alos may affect the deal Microsoft tied up with Nokia Recently to provide MS Office application to Nokia Phones.

MICHAEL JACKSON'S PATENT

The untimely death of Michael Jackson has creatin a wave of emotion. In the filed of IPR MJ is wrongly credited with his trademark move the Moon walk. This dance move was in use by other breakdances...MJ just made it famous..so famous that it its origins was atributed to him.

But there is a move which MJ did invent and he did get the Patent for the same. He was granted US Patent No. 5,255,452 for a move in his "Smooth Crminal" Video.

NEW CONTOLLER GENERAL APPPOINTED

Mr. P.H.Kurian, a malayali of the 1986 cadre of the IAS has been appointed the new Controller General of the Patent, Designs and Trademarks. This is historic in nature as it is for the first time that an IAS officer is being appointed.

All IP practioners are waiting with baited breath to see whether any changes will come about in the Registry’s. There are many much desired changes that are urgently required to arrest ineeficient maner in which the Registry’s are presently running.

A new change being noticed is that the examiners are writing their comments on a sheet of paper which is being attached with the examination report when being sent.

PATENT FOR BHARATMATRIMONY.COM

Bharatmatrimony.com has filed for patent protection for programs like veriprofile and virtual matrimony meet. For more information read the article at this link 

http://www.techgoss.com/Story/804S14-Patent-shaadi-meets.aspx

PATENT SUPER HIGHWAY

The EPO has just announced that the Patent Prosecution Highway (their capitals) is due to begin on 29 September.  This scheme will allow patent applications that have been examined and allowed in either the USPTO or the EPO to be fast-tracked in the other office.  The programme will run for a trial period of 1 year, after which the offices will assess whether it is worth being fully implemented

INCREASE IN PATENT APPLICATIONS

According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), the filing of patent applications has increased from 4824 in the year 1999-2000 to 28,882 applications in the year 2006-2007. As against 8,010 trademark (TM) registrations in 1999-2000, 109,361 TMs were registered in 2006-07. Also, the filing of applications for design has increased from 2874 in 1999-2000 to 5372 in 2006-07.