Search Results: Life Sciences Intellectual Property

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USPTO Director Issues Precedential Review Decision Regarding Multiple Dependent Claims

Director Katherine Vidal of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued a precedential review decision with respect to the interpretation of multiple dependent claims, in a case of first impression before the Patent and Trial Appeal Board (“PTAB”).  In the review of the PTAB’s final written Decision and Order,…

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Decision Time: The Unified Patent Court Begins in 2023

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The Unified Patent Court (“UPC”) is set to begin on June 1, 2023. Under the UPC framework, a single court proceeding could result in simultaneous revocation of European Patents across multiple European Union (“EU”) countries, including France and Germany. A three-month “Sunrise Period” is set to begin March 1, 2023….

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USPTO Announces Cancer Moonshot Expedited Examination Program

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) published a Notice in the Federal Register announcing a new pilot program entitled, “Cancer Moonshot Expedited Examination Pilot Program” (the “Cancer Moonshot Program”) (87 Fed. Reg. 75608 (December 9, 2022)) (the “Notice”) to attempt to further accelerate innovation in the health and medical…

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USPTO and FDA Continue to Focus on Patent Quality in the Pharmaceutical Industry

After a recent reminder from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding the duties of disclosure and reasonable inquiry during examination of a patent application and a Request for Comments (RFC) on the USPTO initiatives to ensure “robustness and reliability” of patent rights,[1] the Director of the U.S. Patent…

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USPTO Doubles Down Calling Out Pharmaceutical Industry

The new Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Katherine Vidal, published a stern reminder regarding the duties of disclosure and reasonable inquiry during examination of a patent application, including reexamination, reissue, and proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) (87 FR 45764 (July 29, 2022)). …

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USPTO Publishes Notice Calling Out Pharmaceutical Industry

President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, 86 FR 36987 (2021), expressed concerns about the patent system being misused to unnecessarily inhibit or delay entry of generic drugs or biologics to the marketplace for years, denying Americans access to lower cost drugs.  The President called for…

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The Future of Patents for Patients: USPTO Temporarily Extends Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program (Patents for Patients) and Requests Public Input On Next Steps

On June 29, 2022, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that it was temporarily extending its Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program (”Patents 4 Patients” or “P4P”) to September 30, 2022, and also issued a request for public input on the P4P. Under the P4P, Applicants can file a…

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Canadian Patent Examination Will Soon Be More Expensive, Less Flexible and Require Additional Care in Prosecution to Avoid Loss of Rights

Canadian Patent Examination Significant fee increases will be effective at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”) on October 3, 2022 related to excess claims (claims over 20) and the number of examination reports it issues during prosecution. These changes may negatively impact the breadth of patent protection an applicant could…

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The Unified Patent Court is (Finally) Coming to Europe and Bringing Some Pretty Fundamental Changes with It

Seven years after the Member States of the EU signed the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (“UPCA”), the Unitary Patent (“UP”) and the Unified Patent Court (“UPC”) are likely to commence during the second half of 2022. This promises to bring significant changes to patent protections across Europe, potentially…

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