INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
▸ Study says faster patent examination is needed In many countries, including some of the world’s most important emerging economies, it takes so long to obtain a patent that the intellectual property rights approach irrelevance in many industries, says a new report by George Mason University’s Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property. Patent pendency—the length of time a patent application is left pending while under review—is one of the biggest challenges facing the global patent system, according to the study. Lengthy pendency is an issue for both the high tech and life sciences industries. In Thailand, for example, it now takes 16 years on average to get a pharmaceutical patent granted. “Thailand regularly issues patents with mere months or weeks of life left before expiration,” the report says. But the study also found that some countries are strengthening their commitments to patent processing. South Korea now has the world’s shortest average pendency period for all patent applications at 2.8 years. China is next at 2.9 years, followed by the U.S. at 3.5 years, Australia at 3.6 years, and Egypt at 3.8 years.—GLENN HESS, special to C&EN
POLLUTION
CREDIT: KARL FROYD/NOAA/CIRES ( SCIENCE 2013, DOI: 10.1126/SCIENCE.1234145)
▸ Canada proposes microbeads ban The Canadian government has proposed a ban on toothpaste, skin cleansers, shower
PESTICIDES
EPA approves dicamba use on modified crops EPA has cleared the way for the Monsanto herbicide dicamba (3,6-dichloro2-methoxybenzoic acid) to be used on soybeans and cotton that have been genetically modified to tolerate the chemical. Both EPA and Monsanto claim that the product, sold under the name Xtendimax with Vapor Grip Technology, has lower volatility than other dicamba formulations that were allegedly used illegally in Missouri, Arkansas, Cl O and Tennessee earlier this year. More than 100 farmers filed complaints over the summer against their neighOH bors, claiming that illegally sprayed dicamba drifted onto their property and damaged soybeans that were OCH3 not engineered to tolerate it. The situation escalated Cl and a farmer in Arkansas was shot and killed over an Dicamba alleged dispute about dicamba. EPA says that it is still investigating whether dicamba was used illegally. USDA previously approved the sale of soybeans that tolerate dicamba, but farmers could not legally use the herbicide on the soybeans until EPA gave its stamp of approval. Environmental groups are concerned that use of dicamba on the two crops will lead to a jump in the herbicide’s use and harm to endangered species.—BRITT ERICKSON
gels, and other toiletries containing plastic microbeads starting July 1, 2018. The ban is a response to researchers’ concerns that the plastic spheres adsorb persistent toxic substances, which are then eaten by small fish and other aquatic animals. The regulations would prohibit the manufacture and import of plastic microbeads that are 0.5 mm in diameter or smaller beginning Jan. 1, 2018, with a sales ban six months later. On Nov. 5, the federal government signaled its intent to regulate microbeads under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The move follows a unan-
imous vote by members of Parliament last year to add plastic microbeads to the country’s list of toxic substances. The government expects to issue final regulations next summer. Given industry’s anticipated voluntary phase out of the beads, manufacturers, importers and consumers are unlikely to see significant effects. But the regulation will lessen the risk of re-introduction and level the playing field between domestic and foreign companies, says Mary Ellen Perkin of Environment & Climate Change Canada.—SHARON
OOSTHOEK, special to C&EN
CHEMISTRY IN PICTURES A selection from cen.chempics.org, where C&EN showcases the beauty of chemistry
Laser cloud science Scientists at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) mounted this custom mass spectrometer inside the nose of an airplane so they could study the chemistry of clouds. They designed a special inlet (far right) that captures the ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds. The apparatus, which the team calls a single particle laser mass spectrometer or PALMS, then removes the water and analyzes what’s lef over. The researchers found that particles of mineral dust or metal acted as seeds for this type of cloud formation. “PALMS gives us a detailed chemical fingerprint of each individual particle,” says NOAA researcher Daniel Murphy.—CRAIG BETTENHAUSEN NOVEMBER 14, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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