Dear Editor,
Is the rare earth project technology being patented by Japan Light Metals as reported by the minister?
I am somewhat familiar with the process of applying for patents, and the first route for an invention (this includes chemical processes) to be patented is to go through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a part of the United Nations. The majority of countries worldwide are signatories to the Patents Cooperation Treaty (PCT), but Jamaica is not one of them.
It has been at least a decade since I have been asking Minister Phillip Paulwell and others when we will join the rest of the world in having a modern patent law that is recognised internationally, and always the reply has been, "soon", or "next year". Last year the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) said "some time next year". I live in hope that it will be so.
Back to the rare earth business, once a patent application has been made in any country signatory to the international PCT, it is accessible publicly on the WIPO's Patentscope database. As I can see, of the patents and applications for patent, there are no Japanese ones by Japan Light Metals. Perhaps, since PCT patent applications are in the public domain, that is, accessible to anyone, Minister Paulwell, as a lawyer, should be aware of this and could advise us of the patent application number, so that we could see what marvellous process will help us extract these valuable metals or oxides.
Howard Chin, PE
Member, Jamaica Institution of Engineers
hmc14@cwjamaica.com
Rare earth, but no patent
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Is the rare earth project technology being patented by Japan Light Metals as reported by the minister?
I am somewhat familiar with the process of applying for patents, and the first route for an invention (this includes chemical processes) to be patented is to go through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a part of the United Nations. The majority of countries worldwide are signatories to the Patents Cooperation Treaty (PCT), but Jamaica is not one of them.
It has been at least a decade since I have been asking Minister Phillip Paulwell and others when we will join the rest of the world in having a modern patent law that is recognised internationally, and always the reply has been, "soon", or "next year". Last year the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) said "some time next year". I live in hope that it will be so.
Back to the rare earth business, once a patent application has been made in any country signatory to the international PCT, it is accessible publicly on the WIPO's Patentscope database. As I can see, of the patents and applications for patent, there are no Japanese ones by Japan Light Metals. Perhaps, since PCT patent applications are in the public domain, that is, accessible to anyone, Minister Paulwell, as a lawyer, should be aware of this and could advise us of the patent application number, so that we could see what marvellous process will help us extract these valuable metals or oxides.
Howard Chin, PE
Member, Jamaica Institution of Engineers
hmc14@cwjamaica.com
Rare earth, but no patent
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