JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO HELP PROTECT JAPANESE STEM CELL PATENTS

- JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO HELP PROTECT JAPANESE STEM CELL PATENTS

>From the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 11 Jan 2008, pp.1 and 15

The Japanese Government is creating a national effort to surround Kyoto
University Professor Shinya Yamanaka's work on induced pluripotent stem
cells (iPS). A key part of this effort will be a patenting strategy to
stave off patents arising from University of Wisconsin Professor James
Thompson's parallel work. For its part, the Japan Patent Office will set
up a database of patent and non-patent literature relating to the subject
and provide guidance on patenting strategies. The new database will be
opened in April 2008.