Tricky issue of policing the Internet

Instead of bans, regulations may be a better way of dealing with the downside of digital technology 

Farmers' rights are a hot potato

The fallout between US major PepsiCo and Gujarat’s potato growers underlines the looming threat to farmers’ rights in India over …

New ruse in Big Pharma's old game

Drug multinationals are lobbying for a devious patent linkage system to block the entry of competitive generics

Monsanto's troublesome trait

Bayer is battling seed companies and farmers in several countries over royalty on Monsanto's GM seeds

US sound and fury over drug prices

The US Senate is outraged by the rapacious pricing policy of drug firms but will it act to reform the system?

Bedaquiline and India's patent law

Opposition to the new patent claims on the Johnson & Johnson drug is a test of how well the rules against evergreening are working

Software outsmarts drug research

Now, a programme can bypass patented drug pathways and create synthetically-produced medicines

No worries? Ask Simba

A furore over Disney's trademark on the Swahili phrase Hakuna Matata heats up the cultural appropriation debate

Patent Prosecution Highway: The fast track to disaster

India's decision to start one for Japanese firms could open the tollgates to hasty approvals

Pressed for sharing

The Uttarakhand high court order on Ramdev's firm to pay for use of bioresources has put herbal companies on notice

When judges copy

Should the rules on plagiarism matter as much as the independent analysis made by judges in adjudicating cases?

You can be sued for your social media posts

Copyright issues related to social media posts are a concern as platforms are shutting down accounts without notice

Beware of Japan's trade ambitions

Japan is pushing for higher levels of intellectual property protection that will cut access to affordable medicines

This is how rich nations protect profits of multinational pharma firms

When rich nations insist on patent linkage provisions in bilateral and regional trade pacts, there is a way out

The zero budget farming discord

There is unease over the crusader of natural farming, Subhash Palekar, for renaming the technique after himself

Can activism check Big Pharma’s profit motives?

As prices of life-saving drugs skyrocket, people from diverse fields are getting together to fight Big Pharma

US trading on thin ice

As Trump escalates the trade war with China, the key question is what constitutes theft of intellectual property

Fake science, shady journals

India is way behind in the patents it files, the reason being that much of its science is of dubious quality

Average 71 patents per drug!

Innovator companies are seeking hundreds of patents on a single drug to extend monopolies and increase prices

Outsourcing patent functions

WIPO begins talks on controversial proposal to allow countries to outsource their patent examination processes to another country

Clearing the smoke on packaging

WTO rules that Australian laws on tobacco packaging don't violate global obligations to protect intellectual property

These consumers are funding farmers to make food sustainable

A transformation in the food system is underway with 100 consumers funding traditional millet farmers

Verdict on Net Neutrality: India's journey towards free and fair Internet

In a huge victory for those who advocate free and fair internet access, the Indian government has approved net neutrality, but the road to …

Evergreening rampant in India

India's patent office has ignored the strict safeguards against evergreening and allowed a flood of secondary drug patents

Patanjali doesn't want to share benefits of centuries-old medicine system

Ramdev's corporate behemoth Patanjali's claim that Indian firms do not have to share benefits for using bio resources is troubling