Amicable Settlement Reached for the Use of the Pasteur Name
The Pasteur Institute of Kyoto is to get a new name.(left)
The Pasteur Institute of Paris(right)
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The Foundation of the Pasteur Institute of Kyoto, located in the Sakyo Ward of Kyoto, has been involved in a lawsuit with the Pasteur Institute of Paris over the use of the name "Pasteur", and as a result the Kyoto institute will be changing its name to the Louis Pasteur Center for Medical Research as of this spring. Direct negotiations between the two parties began recently, during which discussions led to a decision to change the name of the Kyoto institute. The Pasteur Institute of Paris will soon be withdrawing the lawsuit that it has filed
with the Kyoto district court.
The Pasteur Institute was established in Paris in 1887 to honor Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), the famous French chemist and bacteriologist, and has become a base for AIDS, bacteriology and immunology research. The Pasteur Institute of Kyoto was established in 1986, and is working on the research of medical subjects such as interferons. In November 1988, both institutes entered into a contract that allowed the Kyoto institute to use the word "Pasteur" in its name and as a trademark. However, the Kyoto institute claimed that the terms of the contract were restricted by the Paris institute in regard to research and personnel affairs. The Paris institute said that they would not renew the contract, and the agreement expired in November 1990. In January 1995, the Paris institute filed suit with the Kyoto district court to have the name of the institute changed, claiming that the Kyoto institute had no right to use the name because the contract had expired. Later, the district court recommended that the two parties try to resolve the situation between themselves, and direct negotiations got underway. As a result, both parties realized their common desire to communicate the ideals of Louis Pasteur to future generations, and negotiations held in Kyoto last November have led to an agreement in which the Kyoto institute will change "Pasteur" to "Louis Pasteur" and emphasize the term "Medical" in its new name, "Louis Pasteur Center for Medical Research". |
