IN ALL this financial doom and gloom, it's heartening to discover that there is always something to have a laugh at.
Step forward Captain Beeny, described by the Western Mail as a "self-styled Welsh superhero and serial election deposit loser". He is to battle with Selfridges, claiming trademark infringement. Find out what it's all about here.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Scientists against life form patents
GLOBAL civil society organisations and independent scientists have voiced their concerns over patenting knowledge designed for combating the impact of climate change in agriculture, reports financialexpress.com.
Claiming that such patent rights would make the seeds costlier and would not allow poor farmers to fight the onslaught of climate change, Pat Roy Mooney told an international conference on food security and climate in Delhi: "There are ample local seeds of different crops resistant drought, salinity and water logging. If these traits are used to develop new seeds and patent rights are extended over them, then it would amount to a situation where science has no social responsibility for combating climate change."
He said around 532 applications have been filed in patent offices across the world for patent rights over the knowledge designed to combat the impact of climate change in agriculture. These patent rights have been claimed by leading multinational companies including BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Bayer. Swaminathan Research Foundation has also claimed process patent rights over three varieties of rice and one on mango, he said.
Mae Won Ho, the director of the UK-based Institute of Science in Society, said that patenting of genes should not be allowed because it is possible that one DNA has many functions and several DNAs have the same function. “This is a nature’s gift and should not be patented,” she added.
Claiming that such patent rights would make the seeds costlier and would not allow poor farmers to fight the onslaught of climate change, Pat Roy Mooney told an international conference on food security and climate in Delhi: "There are ample local seeds of different crops resistant drought, salinity and water logging. If these traits are used to develop new seeds and patent rights are extended over them, then it would amount to a situation where science has no social responsibility for combating climate change."
He said around 532 applications have been filed in patent offices across the world for patent rights over the knowledge designed to combat the impact of climate change in agriculture. These patent rights have been claimed by leading multinational companies including BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Bayer. Swaminathan Research Foundation has also claimed process patent rights over three varieties of rice and one on mango, he said.
Mae Won Ho, the director of the UK-based Institute of Science in Society, said that patenting of genes should not be allowed because it is possible that one DNA has many functions and several DNAs have the same function. “This is a nature’s gift and should not be patented,” she added.
Jeans wars - it's all in the tags
FORMER American gangsta rapper Master P has found himself on the receiving end of a lawsuit from Pepe Jeans, which is claiming that the latter day mogul - who now goes under the moniker P Miller - has infringed its trademark.
Pepe claims that Miller's logo, which encompasses the letter P and is encircled with wings, is too close to its own.
However, Miller has struck back, claiming that his trademark was recorded with the US Patent and Trademark Office on April 1, 2003 - some two months before Pepe registered it with the same office. He is counter-claiming against both Pepe and its directors, alleging malicious interference.
“I went to the website of PepeJeans.com and couldn’t find a circled-P anywhere, on their clothing, or the brand advertising within the site,” Miller told AllHipHop.com.
“I’m the future of affordable fashion and big brands will always hate me. I make clothes for underprivileged and underserved families. I sell jeans for $20 and t-shirts for $10. People don’t buy my clothes for the logo. They buy them because it’s high-fashion at an affordable price.”
Miller has recently signed a major deal with Wal-Mart to stock his lines. He added: "Since they saw fit to go after my retailer, I will return the favor and file suit against several of their retailers like Macy’s, Dr Jay’s, Nordstrom, and Eastbay.”
Pepe claims that Miller's logo, which encompasses the letter P and is encircled with wings, is too close to its own.
However, Miller has struck back, claiming that his trademark was recorded with the US Patent and Trademark Office on April 1, 2003 - some two months before Pepe registered it with the same office. He is counter-claiming against both Pepe and its directors, alleging malicious interference.
“I went to the website of PepeJeans.com and couldn’t find a circled-P anywhere, on their clothing, or the brand advertising within the site,” Miller told AllHipHop.com.
“I’m the future of affordable fashion and big brands will always hate me. I make clothes for underprivileged and underserved families. I sell jeans for $20 and t-shirts for $10. People don’t buy my clothes for the logo. They buy them because it’s high-fashion at an affordable price.”
Miller has recently signed a major deal with Wal-Mart to stock his lines. He added: "Since they saw fit to go after my retailer, I will return the favor and file suit against several of their retailers like Macy’s, Dr Jay’s, Nordstrom, and Eastbay.”
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