Expiring patents can be a catalyst for M&A in the life sciences industry as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seek to maintain revenue streams and competitive advantages. In this edition of Beyond the Deal, our...more
4/14/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biosimilars ,
Biotechnology ,
Competition ,
Generic Drugs ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Patent Expiration ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prescription Drugs
In three previous blog posts, we have discussed recent inventorship issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and its implications for life sciences innovations – focusing specifically on scientist Stephen Thaler’s...more
3/9/2022
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventions ,
Inventors ,
Life Sciences ,
Patent Act ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Ownership ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
USPTO
In Univ. of Strathclyde v. Clear-Vu Lighting LLC, the Federal Circuit grappled with the issue of whether claims directed to methods and systems for inactivating bacteria using blue light were obvious in view of a prior art...more
12/1/2021
/ Biotechnology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Life Sciences ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prior Art
Confronting a life sciences patentee with its statements to regulatory bodies (such as the FDA) is a textbook defense strategy in patent litigation. After all, communications with regulatory bodies are often performed by...more
Striking a blow to patent applicants seeking to assert inventorship by artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled on September 3, 2021 that an AI machine cannot...more
9/9/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventions ,
Inventors ,
Life Sciences ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Ownership ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
USPTO
On August 23rd, the Federal Circuit upheld in part and reversed in part a decision from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (PTAB or Board) concerning Ethicon’s patent on a robotic surgical tool, holding that the Board’s...more
8/27/2021
/ Biotechnology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventions ,
Medical Devices ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prior Art ,
Robotic Surgery
The question whether an artificial intelligence (“AI”) system can be named as an inventor in a patent application has obvious implications for the life science community, where AI’s presence is now well established and...more
8/13/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventions ,
Inventors ,
Life Sciences ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Ownership ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
South Africa
Nearly seven years after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l, subject matter eligibility for patent claims under 35 U.S.C § 101 remains a moving target. In Alice, the Court found claims for a...more
On May 5, 2021, the Biden Administration announced its support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. Understandably, the news made headlines and stirred passionate reactions from the medical...more