Posts Tagged: "Guest Contributor"

Solid Form Patents: Part I – Introduction and Laying the Genus/Species Foundation

Pharmaceutical products are typically dosed as solids, liquids (e.g., solutions) or gases. In gases and liquids, the molecules are tumbling; in solids, however, the molecules are essentially frozen in place, forming three-dimensional networks. When those networks are ordered, they are called crystalline…. Where the same chemical compound can exist in multiple crystalline forms is called polymorphism, with each crystalline form called a polymorph. When the compound is an element, as with carbon, it is referred to as allotropism. Predicting whether a chemical compound will be polymorphic, what that polymorph might be, and the properties thereof are notoriously challenging feats. Because polymorphs or other crystalline forms can have significantly different drug solubility and dissolution properties, it is not surprising that they are often the subject of patent applications in the pharmaceutical arts. 

Energy Demand Response Programs and Patent Exposure

The core business model of energy producers and providers does not traditionally create significant patent litigation risk. Despite the complexity of the modern energy grid, the basic business and technology of energy generation has not changed significantly in the past 100 years. However, new programs, including residential demand response, executed via smart home appliances and controls, may expose utility companies to increased liability. Demand response programs allow utility providers to reduce grid load and energy pricing by offering customers pricing incentives to reduce energy usage during times of peak demand…. While such programs have been generally available for commercial customers, recently, demand response opportunities for residential customers have been expanding. Where these residential demand response programs allow energy providers to directly control, through the internet, consumers’ smart thermostats and appliances, energy providers may be exposed to patent liability.

End of a Patent Battle, Beginning of a Licensing Fight For CRISPR

By now, news of MIT and Harvard’s Broad Institute’s victory over the CVC group (the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Vienna, and Emmanuelle Charpentier) in a dispute over genome-editing CRISPR technology has spread like wildfire in the biotech industry and academia. To recap, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled that the Broad Institute (Broad) was the first to invent single-guide CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology for use in eukaryotes. Furthermore, the judges ruled that “CVC fails to provide sufficient, persuasive evidence of an earlier reduction to practice or conception, as they are legally defined, of each and every element of Count 1 before Broad’s evidence of reduction to practice.” While the decade-long patent battle over the Nobel Prize-winning technology might have come to an end with Broad breathing a sigh of relief and CVC contemplating whether to take it to the next level, this has left some biotech companies scrambling to renegotiate their licensing agreements.

IP Audits for the Emerging Life Science Company: A Staged and Strategic Approach for Value

The trend is here to stay – large life science companies are basing their growth strategies on research and development happening at early-stage companies. It is easier, and less risky, for large companies simply to acquire these enterprises working on new and innovative therapeutic candidates that have advanced to a certain stage. For early stage life science companies (ESLSCs), intellectual property is the asset. Although 2021 saw what appeared to be a slowdown in deal-making activity compared to 2020, the top M&A and licensing deals were valued at well over $50 billion dollars. Whether to attract the attention of one of the larger players in the space – for a potential license or acquisition, to entice investors, or to remain competitive – a methodical and focused IP review should ensure clear alignment with business objectives and maximum return on investment. Not only does the IP audit provide the ESLSC a chance to broadly inventory and strategically review their IP, it also prepares them for any potential third-party diligence.

A Modest Proposal for a U.S. Patent Validity Court

Administrative patent judges of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), who are inferior officers under the appointments clause, can overrule validity decisions of U.S. district court judges, who are Officers of the United States. District court judges with no training or experience in technology construe patent claims and decide validity. A political appointee can overrule PTAB judges’ validity decisions…. This article proposes a new system of patent justice. Major issues during patent litigation would be decided at the trial level ONLY ONCE, and by the government entity best positioned to decide the issue.