Stem Cells And Patents – Norwegian Patent Office Amends Its Guidelines

The EPO changed its guidelines in June 2012 and on the 24th of October 2012 the Norwegian Patent Office amended its patent guidelines. Here follows a brief outline of the amendments in Norway.

Brüstle

 Industry, research institutions and IP professionals waited to see how the EPO and national intellectual property offices would amend their practices after the Brüstle decision.

The guidelines before the amendments

Section 1 b Norwegian Patents Act excludes from patentability inventions whose commercial exploitations would run counter to public order and morality. The provision specifically mentions the use of human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes as excluded.