IPAB revokes patent for low sugar sweet

CHENNAI: Low sugar sweets are to be common property, apparently. The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) in Chennai has revoked the patent given to two individuals -- Krishnamachari Ramu and R Lavanya of Melony Road in T Nagar --  for preparation of low glycemic sweets. The Board, led by its chairperson Justice Prabha Sridevan and technical member (patents) DPS Parmar, revoked the patent granted to the duo in December, 2005, while passing orders on an application from Srinivasa Raja, partner of Adyar Ananda Bhavan in Adyar, recently.Raja contended that the specifications disclosed neither any invention nor any inventive step. The subject matter of the patent was not novel and not patentable. The duo could not claim to be inventors of the said process as the specification was already in common knowledge and was being extensively practised in the industry. The manner andmethod of preparing the product was very vague and was not comprehensive with regard to the method of heating and obtaining the viscosity. The patent was liable to be revoked under Sec. 64(1)(h) of the Patent Act, Raja said.Ramu and Lavanya submitted that their innovation was novel and they had solved the problem relating to browning of the fructose syrup. Conceding the contentions of the applicant and holding that the process involved no invention, the Board revoked the patent given to the duo.