Former minister: Govt can’t renege on G pan patent fees

If Government is found to be in breach of their public duty to act, they can be taken to court. This is what attorney and former Legal Affairs minister Peter Taylor had to say in response to Attorney General Anand Ramlogan’s statement that the Government was in the process of considering and analysing the economic viability of the Genesis pan (G pan) in several territories.

The issue first arose last week when, in a newspaper article (not the Guardian), Taylor accused the Government of failing to honour international obligations with respect to payments of annuities on patents and trademarks related to the instrument.

Ramlogan responded by saying Government had not made any payments in advance of the due date of July 13, 2012 because Government was in the process of analysing its position with respect to the economic viability of the patent application in the territories filed. He said the application for the patent was filed in a number of jurisdictions which made no commercial sense because it is unlikely to market the G pan in those territories.

But Taylor, in an interview yesterday, said Government could not renege on agreements already made with other jurisdictions. “These agreements mean the way is now clear for Government to enter into licensing and manufacturing agreements with these territories,” Taylor said.