US High Court Backs Foreign Manufacturers Over US Patentees 10/03/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Under Donald Trump, the United States has adopted new, protectionist policies. “America first,” the President has repeatedly and loudly declared. It appears, however, that the US Supreme Court didn’t get the memo. The Court, in a recent patent law case, sided with foreign companies and consumers, at the expense of US patent owners. The unanimous ruling protects international supply chains instead of domestic US manufacturing.
Amendment To The Polish Reimbursement Act For Medical Devices: Challenges For The Market 10/03/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Polish Ministry of Health has commenced consultations on an amendment to the act on reimbursements for drugs, foods intended for particular nutritional uses and medical devices. This bill envisions an entirely new system of refunds (full and partial), fixed maximum prices and fixed maximum margins for medical devices based partly on HTA, similar to the system currently in place for pharmaceuticals. The current wording leads one to believe that gradually all groups of medical devices could be introduced into this system. If the amendment is passed in the current shape, it has the potential to transform the medical devices market in Poland.
EC Copyright Reform Proposal Encounters Resistance In European Parliament 09/03/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Commission plans to modernise copyright rules have run into opposition in European Parliament committees, with lawmakers particularly pushing back against the proposal for a publishers’ right to licence snippets of news content.
Workshop: How To Tackle The High Cost Of Prescription Drugs In The US 09/03/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A recent workshop held on the doorstep of policymakers in the United States drew speakers from academic and activist circles to examine the mechanisms in US law which could help lead to lower prescription drug prices.
Paint Medical Patents Green Or Improve Efficacy 08/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Danny Friedmann writes: When the holder of a medical patent finds herself on the patent cliff, staring into the abyss of a patentless and incomeless future, she will become very ingenious in applying for new uses, new pathways of delivery and new doses of the known substance. Painting a new layer of green over the patent that must give the impression of a new invention. It is the duty of the legislator to limit this kind of behavior if it stifles access to generic medicines. How can the interests of patent holders and patients be reconciled?
EPO Sees Highest Patent Filings Ever; Chinese Applications Still Rising 07/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The European Patent Office published its 2016 annual report today, showing an “unprecedented level of patent filings,” and underlining the growing number of patent applications from China. The top technical fields for applications included medical technology, digital communication, and pharmaceuticals.
Legal Swords Sharpened In Kenya-Manchester Cancer Drug Rights Dispute 07/03/2017 by Maina Waruru for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya — A dispute between Kenyan researchers and the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, over ownership of a cancer discovered after successful clinical trials in Kenya finally seems headed to courts.
First Access To Vaccines Index Published 06/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments An “Access to Vaccines Index” was released today in the Netherlands that claims to “reveal the first landscape of vaccine company actions to improve immunisation coverage.”
A Review Of ‘Standard Essential Patents Within Global Networks – An Emerging Economies Perspective’ By Dieter Ernst 06/03/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Roya Ghafele, OxFirst – Dieter Ernst’s study is one of the few, if not the only one, to thoroughly examine the role, function and effects of Standard Essential Patents from a developing country’s perspective. As such, the study is a refreshing read, given that the discourse on Standard Essential Patents and the FRAND (fair reasonable and non-discriminatory) regime is pretty much driven from a developed country’s point of view.
Patent Data – The Modern Investor’s Crystal Ball 06/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Sirena Rubinoff writes: What if there was a crystal ball that could tell you where and when to invest your money? It sounds like science fiction, but engineers at MIT have actually developed a formula that can predict future events in tech development. The formula is based on a combination of big data from patent applications and smart analytics which, when put together, can estimate how fast a technology is advancing.