Mumbai: The department of industrial policy and promotions has appointed P.C. Chakraborty, currently deputy controller at the Kolkata patent office, as technical member in the panel hearing an appeal by Swiss drug maker Novartis AG challenging the Chennai patent office’s decision to reject its patent application for cancer drug Glivec.
The department comes under the ministry of commerce and industry, which oversees the administration of intellectual property rights and related affairs.
Chakraborty will be a member in the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, or IPAB, panel.
Mint had reported on 29 September that the Supreme Court had directed the government to appoint an external expert if it found it difficult to post one from the department.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition by cancer specialty company Natco Pharma Ltd challenging an earlier ruling of the Madras high court allowing the IPAB to hear Novartis’ appeal without a technical member on the judiciary panel.
—Staff Writer
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Inflation data to be released on 3 October
New Delhi: The government will release weekly inflation data this week at 6 pm on 3 October, instead of Thursday, commerce ministry spokesman Rajeev Jain said.
The commerce ministry changed the release date for the key measure as 2 October is a national holiday, Jain said.
The country’s wholesale inflation rate in the week ended 20 September is likely to rise to 12.12%, according to a ‘Bloomberg’ survey of 18 economists. Inflation rose 12.14% in the previous week, the ministry said on 25 September.
—Bloomberg
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$500 mn European order for Moser Baer
New Delhi: Compact Disc manufacturer Moser Baer India Ltd announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to supply solar modules to major European solar system integrators.
The agreements, involving supply of thin film solar panels by Moser Baer’s photovoltaic subsidiary, have a cumulative value of more than $500 million (Rs2,350 crore) till 2012.
The customers include Ralos Vertriebs GmbH, a photovoltaic systems integration firm, and Colexon Energy AG, which plans and builds commercial photovoltaic plants.
Both are based in Germany, which currently accounts for nearly 80% of all solar PV installations in the European Union.
“This is a significant step forward in developing long term strategic relationships with top tier players in the sector, as well as securing revenues and cash flows for the business.” group chief financial officer of Moser Baer, Yogesh Mathur, said.
Moser Baer had recently announced raising of more than Rs415 crore through a consortium of private equity investors, and, in all, the wholly owned photovoltaic subsidiary has raised more than Rs800 crore of private equity funding.
—Staff Writer
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Videocon makes petro discovery in Brazil