Patent Amendments Come Into Force
03 December 2012
The Patents (Amendment) Bill 2008, passed by Parliament on August 25 this year, came into force on December 1.These amendments relate to two areas:
• The implementation of the Doha Amendment to the TRIPS Agreement, which allows for compulsory licences to be granted to allow the import of pharmaceutical products to address public health emergencies; and
• Streamlining the regulation of anti-competitive agreements relating to patented inventions, so that agreements come under the perview of the Competition Act
