Patents exceptions

Brazilian Law 9279/96. According to the latter provision, all or part of living things are not patentable, except transgenic microorganisms that meet the three patentability requirements (novelty, inventive step, and industrial application) set forth in Article 8 of the law and that are not mere discoveries. 

The industries that manufacture materials and components for electronic and optical-based systems are characterized by products that are rapidly superseded in the market by improved ones. This quick turnover stems from the intense competition among these industries and results in dramatic price erosion for products, once introduced. Consequently, these industries also require rapid technology transfer from the research laboratory onto the production line. Many of their products cannot be protected by patents, except for minor features. Therefore, the key to their competitive success is thoroughly characterized and integrated manufacturing processes, supported by process innovations. Since nearly all of the processes are chemically based, chemical engineers can play an important role in ensuring the success of these companies. 

Over the 1990 and 2000 periods, 95%i of patents granted for pharmaceutical Softgel products relate to drugs or fill formulations and not to specific claims or improvements regarding shell formulations or manufacturing processes. On the surface, this would appear to indicate a mature technology, but as patents are public domain, and process patents are difficult to enforce, it is more likely that industry leaders are reluctant to pursue patents, except in unusual circumstances. In this process critical industry, it is more reasonable to expect that companies prefer to maintain technological advances as internal in-house matters for competitive reasons. 

The action of organic halides on AI metal and its alloys is the subject of many patents. Except for the behavior of methyl-, ethyl- and some aryl halides there is poor agreement concerning experimental procedures, reproducibility and yields ". ... 

Other Solid-add Catalysts - Chromium on an aluminophosphate support, which is supposed to be a polymerization catalyst, was used in the oligomerization of light olefins and ethylene. For ethylene oligomerization, the catalyst exhibited activity for dimerization, with around 60% conversion to C4 fractions. In another patent the support and the active phase were the same as in the previous patent, except that the support had been treated with a solution of triethylaluminium in toluene before being contacted with the chromium compound. The catalyst system showed selectivity towards trimerization. When... 

If a patent is not filed in a specific country then it is possible for the invention to be made and sold there without fear of infringement. The product or process cannot be marketed in a country where it is covered by a patent except by the patent holder or a licensee. 

A higher density sol—gel abrasive, produced by the introduction of seed crystaUites formed by wet-milling with high alumina media or by introduction of submicrometer a-alumina particles, was patented (28) and designated Norton SG. The microstmcture of this abrasive consists of submicrometer a-alumina crystals (Fig. 1) and its bulk density approaches that of fused alumina. Norton SG has proven to be an exceptional performer in coated and bonded abrasive products it was awarded the 1989 ASM Engineering Materials Achievement Award (29). 

Printed Patent Office Gazettes. The issuance of patents is announced by patent offices ia pubHcations typically known as ga2ettes and bulletins, which are pubHshed most commonly at the time of the patent s pubHcation, but there are exceptions. Advance information is pubHshed ia a patent ga2ette by some countries prior to the pubHcation of patent documents, typically as a notification of filing details. However, some patent ga2ettes do not appear until weU after the effective pubHcation date of the patents they announce. 

All countries listed are included in Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) except for Argentina, Cuba, Cypress, Egypt, the former GDR, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Malaysia, Malta, Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, the former Yugoslavia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

Various patents (22—24) have been issued claiming the use of tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate in, for example, water treating, pharmaceuticals (qv), and in the oil industry where this compound shows exceptional activity toward the sulfate-reducing bacteria that are a primary cause of hydrogen sulfide formation and consequent problems associated with souring and corrosion (25). 

Group-Transfer Polymerization. Du Pont has patented (29) a technique known as group-transfer polymerization and appHed it primarily to the polymerization of acrylates and methacrylates. It is mechanistically similar to anionic polymerization, giving living chains, except that chain transfer can occur (30). 

This process was not acceptable for several reasons low yields, poor quaUty, and the high cost of bromine. Later, at BASF, a process was developed for the manufacture of ali2artn by the caustic fusion of anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (so-called silver salt) which was made by sulfonating anthraquinone with sulfuric acid. This process was patented in England on the 25th of June, 1869. One day later, W. Perkin appHed for a patent for the manufacture of ali2ariQ by a process almost identical to the German process except that the "silver salt" was prepared as follows ... 

Catalytic Pyrolysis. This should not be confused with fluid catalytic cracking, which is used in petroleum refining (see Catalysts, regeneration). Catalytic pyrolysis is aimed at producing primarily ethylene. There are many patents and research articles covering the last 20 years (84—89). Catalytic research until 1988 has been summarized (86). Almost all catalysts produce higher amounts of CO and CO2 than normally obtained with conventional pyrolysis. This indicates that the water gas reaction is also very active with these catalysts, and usually this leads to some deterioration of the olefin yield. Significant amounts of coke have been found in these catalysts, and thus there is a further reduction in olefin yield with on-stream time. Most of these catalysts are based on low surface area alumina catalysts (86). A notable exception is the catalyst developed in the former USSR (89). This catalyst primarily contains vanadium as the active material on pumice (89), and is claimed to produce low levels of carbon oxides. 

Figure 3 shows a simple schematic diagram of an oxygen-based process. Ethylene, oxygen, and the recycle gas stream are combined before entering the tubular reactors. The basic equipment for the reaction system is identical to that described for the air-based process, with one exception the purge reactor system is absent and a carbon dioxide removal unit is incorporated. The CO2 removal scheme illustrated is based on a patent by Shell Oil Co. (127), and minimises the loss of valuable ethylene in the process. 

The above procedure, except for the method of purification, is based upon a recent patent. ... 

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