Keeping pace with the ever-changing life sciences industry, Morrison Foerster stays on top of the trends and political, legal, and economic drivers to support striking the balance between innovative discovery and purposeful business planning to assure our clients continued success. MoFo Life Sciences shares timely legal and business insights and in-depth analyses on trends and the complex technologies at the heart of the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and AgTech fields.Learn more about our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/capabilities/life-sciences-healthcare" target="_self">Life Sciences practice</a>.<h2 dir="ltr">ABOUT MORRISON FOERSTER</h2>Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity into advantage for its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firm’s commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster has been repeatedly recognized as one of the top 10 firms on The American Lawyer’s A-List. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia‑Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of successfully reaching at least 30 percent women, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and fostering the wellbeing of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum, and safeguarding the environment.

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Dr. Meghan Poon counsels clients on patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio strategy, and IP due diligence in the areas of biotechnology and biologics. She has significant experience in diverse technologies including antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, diagnostics, and gene-edited plants. She represents clients ranging from large international pharmaceutical companies to midsized companies, startups, and universities.Meghan has filed numerous Patent Term Extension applications to secure additional term for her clients’ patents, which cover FDA-approved products. In addition, Meghan has extensive experience addressing complex obviousness-double patenting and subject matter eligibility issues impacting her clients’ patent portfolios. Meghan also represents clients in both investor-side and target-side due diligence, in deals from seed funding to initial public offerings.Prior to law school, Meghan attended graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a Ph.D. in biological chemistry based on her work on protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions at a molecular level. Meghan is the author of several scientific publications and has presented her research at international conferences.Meghan received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School and spent a year as a visiting student at Santa Clara University, where she focused on intellectual property.

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Dr. Meghan Poon counsels clients on patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio strategy, and IP due diligence in the areas of biotechnology and biologics. She has significant experience in diverse technologies including antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, diagnostics, and gene-edited plants.

Meghan Poon

Wolfgang advises clients on contentious and non-contentious matters involving their most valuable intellectual property assets in life sciences, digital, and high-tech industries.His subjects of focus include research and development collaborations, complex licensing agreements, and other technology transactions, as well as know-how protection strategies, and employee invention law. He also has substantial experience in litigating patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property assets, often in a multijurisdictional context. In addition, Wolfgang and his team frequently clear trademarks and ad campaigns and prosecute trademark applications.Wolfgang is co-editor of our <a href="https://lifesciences.mofo.com/" dir="ltr" target="_blank">MoFo Life Sciences Blog</a>.Wolfgang is a partner of Morrison Foerster based in our German office in Berlin.<h4 dir="ltr">Representative Transactional Matters</h4><ul dir="ltr"><li>U.S.-based BioTech fund on various research collaborations and other transactions with German start-ups or research institutions.</li><li>Negotiate multimillion-euro strategic partnership between two AgTech leaders concerning the development and commercialization of pest-resistant transgenic traits.</li><li>Craft global multi-million collaboration regarding AI-powered robotic MaaS.</li><li>UK-based digital health company on product roll-out of RPM applications in Germany; coordinate international expansion.</li><li>Advise numerous German start-ups on their U.S. expansion.</li><li>Draft diverse global patent and know-how license agreements in the areas of AgTech and life sciences—including gene licensing and licensing of genome editing technologies (e.g., CRISPR)—and medical devices; draft correlating supply and distribution agreements.</li><li>Structure IP rights in connection with joint ventures and other M&A transactions, including the carve-out of a patent-heavy semiconductor business comprising nine jurisdictions into a German–U.S. joint venture.</li><li dir="ltr">Advise on government-funded, multi-partner R&D projects and/or R&D projects with academic institutions, as well as on employee invention law.</li></ul><h4 dir="ltr">Representative Contentious IP Matters</h4><ul dir="ltr"><li>Lead counsel in an international dispute between software companies on rights and obligations following termination of a multi-million licensing and distribution arrangement; coordinate local counsel.</li><li>Defend Japanese chip manufacturer in high-profile SEP-litigation; advise on global settlement arrangement.</li><li>Represent leading internet retailer in patent infringement and concurrent invalidity proceedings in the context of a multijurisdictional dispute concerning touch-screen technology.</li><li>Represent diverse pharmaceutical and life sciences companies in national and cross-border patent infringement proceedings and other technology-related disputes, including preliminary injunctions as well as pre‑trial discovery and inspection proceedings, concerning, inter alia, drug-coating technologies, toner cartridges, medicinal gases, transgenic plants, and vaccines.</li><li dir="ltr">Conduct trademark, copyright, and false advertising litigation, including, most notably, a high-profile trademark litigation for a German bank, and a nine-country cross-border trademark litigation involving a famous pharmaceutical brand.</li></ul>

Dr. Wolfgang Schönig berät Mandanten zum Schutz des geistigen Eigentums sowohl in streitigen als auch nichtstreitigen Angelegenheiten, mit einem besonderen Fokus auf die IP-rechtliche Beratung von Unternehmen aus den Bereichen Life Sciences, Digitalwirtschaft und High-Tech.Zu seinen Beratungsschwerpunkten gehören Forschungs- und Entwicklungskooperationen, komplexe Lizenzvertragsgestaltungen und andereTechnologie-Transaktionen, sowie Know-how-Schutz-Strategien und das Arbeitnehmererfinderrecht. Er verfügt zudem über umfangreiche Prozesserfahrung zur Durchsetzung von Patenten, Marken- und anderen IP-Rechten, häufig auch in einem grenzüberschreitenden Kontext. Darüber hinaus bewertet Dr. Wolfgang Schönig zusammen mit seinem Team regelmäßig die Rechtskonformität von Werbekampagnen, prüft die Verfügbarkeit von Marken und entwickelt entsprechende Anmeldestrategien.Dr. Wolfgang Schönig ist Co-Editor des Life Sciences Blogs von Morrison Foerster.Er hat seinen Doktortitel an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf und seinen LL.M. an der Fordham School of Law in New York erworben, jeweils mit Schwerpunkt im gewerblichen Rechtsschutz. Seinen MBA-Abschluss erhielt er von der European University in Barcelona.Dr. Wolfgang Schönig ist Partner des deutschen Büros von Morrison Foerster in Berlin.<h4 dir="ltr">Repräsentative Transaktionen</h4><ul><li dir="ltr">BioTech-Fonds mit Sitz in den USA bei verschiedenen Forschungskooperationen und anderen Transaktionen mit deutschen Start-ups oder Forschungseinrichtungen</li><li dir="ltr">Verhandlung einer hochvolumigen strategischen Partnerschaft zwischen zwei Technologieführern im Bereich Crop Science betreffend der Entwicklung und Kommerzialisierung von bestimmten Resistenzen</li><li dir="ltr">Gestaltung einer globalen Multi-Millionen-Zusammenarbeit für KI-gestützte Roboter</li><li dir="ltr">Ein in Großbritannien ansässiges Unternehmen für digitale Gesundheit bei der Markteinführung von RPM-Anwendungen in Deutschland; Koordination der internationalen Expansion</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung zahlreicher deutscher Start-ups bei deren US-Expansion</li><li dir="ltr">Strukturierung und Verhandlung diverser Patent- und Know-How-Lizenzen in den Bereichen Ag Tech und Life Sciences – einschließlich Fragen zu genome editing wie CRISPR-Medizingeräte, sowie Gestaltung von Softwarelizenzverträgen und Erstellung korrespondierender Liefer- und Vertriebsvereinbarungen</li><li dir="ltr">Strukturierung von IP-Rechten im Zusammenhang mit Joint Ventures und anderen M&A-Transaktionen, darunter die Koordination eines neun Länder umfassenden IP Carve-Outs im Rahmen eines Halbleiter-JVs</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung zu staatlich geförderten Multi-Partner F&E-Projekten und/oder F&E-Projekten mit akademischen Einrichtungen sowie zum Arbeitnehmererfindungsrecht</li></ul><h4 dir="ltr">Repräsentative IP-Streitigkeiten</h4><ul><li dir="ltr">Lead Counsel in einem internationalen Rechtsstreit zwischen Softwareunternehmen über Rechte und Pflichten nach Beendigung einer millionenschweren Lizenz- und Vertriebsvereinbarung; Koordinierung der lokalen Anwälte</li><li dir="ltr">Verteidigung eines japanischen Chipherstellers in einem prominenten Streitfall bezüglich Standardessentieller Patente (SEP); Beratung zu einer globalen Vergleichsregelung</li><li dir="ltr">Verteidigung einer führenden Internetplattform gegen Ansprüche eines Patenttrolls wegen vermeintlicher Verletzung von Patent bezüglich Touchscreen-Technologie sowie korrespondierende US-Streitigkeiten</li><li dir="ltr">Vertretung von Pharma- und Life Science-Unternehmen in nationalen und grenzüberschreitenden Patentverletzungsverfahren und anderen technologiebezogenen Streitigkeiten, einschließlich einstweiliger Verfügungsverfahren und vorprozessualer Beweissicherungs- und Besichtigungsverfahren, unter anderem in Bezug auf Arzneimittelbeschichtungstechnologien, Tonerkartuschen, medizinische Gase, transgene Pflanzen und Impfstoffe</li></ul>

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Wolfgang Schönig is a partner of Morrison Foerster (International) LLP based in our German office in Berlin. His practice specialty is advising on IP aspects relative to transactions in, among others, the life sciences, AgTech and pharmaceuticals industry, as well as legal representation in IP disputes. Wolfgang is specialized in research and development collaborations, complex licensing agreements, technology acquisitions, know-how protection strategies, and employee invention law.

Wolfgang Schönig focuses his practice on IP aspects relative to transactions in the digital, telecoms, high tech, life sciences, and pharmaceuticals industry, as well as legal representation in IP disputes.

Wolfgang Schönig advises clients on IP aspects relating to transactions in, among others, the life sciences, AgTech and pharmaceuticals industry, as well as legal representation in IP disputes. His additional focus areas include research and development collaborations, complex licensing agreements, technology acquisitions, know-how protection strategies, and employee invention law.

Wolfgang Schönig

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A recent putative class action case against luxury brand Christian Dior sheds light on the health care exemption in the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA). In Delma Warmack-Stillwell v. Christian Dior Inc., the plaintiff alleged Dior’s virtual try-on feature for sunglasses violated BIPA’s requirements to (1) provide notice and obtain informed consent before collecting an individual’s biometric data; (2) have a written retention and deletion policy for biometric data; and (3) not sell, lease, trade, or otherwise profit from an individual’s biometric data. [1] The Northern District of Illinois dismissed the case, finding that the feature fell within BIPA’s health care exemption. [2]Read our full <a href="https://www.mofo.com/resources/insights/230403-applying-bipas-health-care-exemption" target="_blank">client alert.</a>[1] Warmack v. Christian Dior, Inc., No. 1:22-cv-04633, Dkt. No. 29 at 3 (Feb. 10, 2023).[2] Id. at 12.

Melissa Crespo helps clients navigate a wide range of challenging privacy compliance and data security matters with a focus on the health information and the health care sector.

Melissa M. Crespo

Melissa Crespo

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Morgan Mitruka is an associate in Morrison Foerster’s Litigation Department, based in the San Francisco office.

Morgan O'Neill Mitruka

Morgan Mitruka

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Applying BIPA’s Health Care Exemption to Virtual Try-On Technologies in Light of Dior Dismissal

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A recent putative class action case against luxury brand Christian Dior sheds light on the health care exemption in the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA).

Applying BIPA’s Health Care Exemption to Virtual Try-On Technologies in Light of Dior Dismissal

In 2022, Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) litigation was bustling. Defendants in BIPA cases ranged from pharmacies, insurance companies, and social media platforms to software companies, schools, and airlines. Even with the steady stream of opinions in 2022, key questions about BIPA’s scope remain open for future interpretation.Read our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/resources/insights/230125-year-in-review-data-breach-litigation" target="_self">client alert</a>.

Clients seek out Tiffany for her successful track record in defending class action claims on behalf of clients in a broad range of industries, including technology, healthcare, and consumer product companies. She represents numerous Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation involving privacy and marketing claims in courts throughout the United States.

Tiffany Cheung

Clients seek out Tiffany for her successful track record in defending class action claims on behalf of clients in a broad range of industries, including technology, healthcare, and consumer product companies. She represents numerous Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation involving privacy and marketing claims in courts throughout the United States.

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Privacy Litigation 2022 Year in Review: Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)

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In 2022, Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) litigation was bustling. Defendants in BIPA cases ranged from pharmacies, insurance companies, and social media platforms to software companies, schools, and airlines.

Privacy Litigation 2022 Year in Review: Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)

Starting February 1, 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will begin inviting selected applicants to participate in a <a href="https://www.uspto.gov/patents/initiatives/patent-application-initiatives/deferred-subject-matter-eligibility-response" target="_blank">pilot program</a> to defer subject matter eligibility examination until final disposition of the application or all other rejections have been addressed. The theory behind the program appears to be that satisfaction of other patentability conditions (e.g., novelty, non-obviousness, and written description) may resolve subject matter eligibility issues as well. Continuation and divisional applications, reissue applications, and applications accorded special status (such as Fast- Track applications) are not eligible for the program. Applications must raise both subject matter eligibility rejections and non-subject matter eligibility rejections to be eligible. Participating examiners may invite the applicant of a prospective pilot application to participate in the pilot program by including a form paragraph in the first Office action on the merits. An applicant can then elect to accept the invitation and participate in the program or decline. To accept the invitation, the applicant must file form PTO/SB/456. Once in the program, the Examiner will assess all bases of patentability, including subject matter eligibility, in each office action. In response, the applicant is able to defer presenting arguments, evidence, or amendments in response to the subject matter eligibility rejection(s) until the earlier of final disposition of the application or the withdrawal or obviation of all other outstanding rejections. “Final disposition” of the application is the first of (1) mailing of a notice of allowance, (2) mailing of a final Office action, (3) filing of a notice of appeal, (4) filing of a request for continued examination (RCE), or (5) abandonment of the application.It will be interesting to see how many applicants elect to enter the program and whether it meaningfully impacts patent quality or time to issuance. The program still requires examiners to evaluate subject matter eligibility early on in prosecution. However, applicants may benefit from the program by avoiding wasted time and effort wading into arguments in the sometimes murky area of subject matter eligibility. Instead, applicants can focus their prosecution efforts on more straightforward novelty and non-obviousness analyses, which may also resolve the subject matter eligibility issue.Read more about the program <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/06/2021-28473/deferred-subject-matter-eligibility-response-pilot-program" target="_blank">here</a>.

Dr. Meghan Poon counsels clients on patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio strategy, and IP due diligence in the areas of biotechnology and biologics. She has significant experience in diverse technologies including antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, diagnostics, and gene-edited plants. 

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USPTO Launches Program to Defer Subject Matter Eligibility Responses

USPTO Launches Program to Defer Subject Matter Eligibility Responses

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Starting February 1, 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will begin inviting selected applicants to participate in a pilot program to defer subje

The increasing presence of data-driven solutions in the healthcare and life sciences sector is apparent from the rise in numbers of patents and patent applications.  The number of published bioinformatics patents and patent applications in the last decade has nearly doubled.  Bioinformatics patents face an uphill battle due to subject matter eligibility challenges.  Within the last five years, the majority of bioinformatics patent applications faced a Section 101 rejection. The challenges continue after prosecution, such as in <a href="https://cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/20-1012.OPINION.3-11-2021_1746411.pdf" target="_blank">In re Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University</a>, where the Federal Circuit affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decisions finding two Stanford patents directed to haplotype phasing ineligible as abstract ideas.  And more recently, the Federal Circuit ruled yet another CardioNet heart monitor patent as invalid for not citing an inventive concept in <a href="https://cafc.uscourts.gov/opinions-orders/20-2123.opinion.10-29-2021_1857410.pdf" target="_blank">CardioNet, LLC v. InfoBionic, Inc</a>. There are drafting techniques that may be used to help preemptively address subject matter eligibility concerns, such as providing as much detail as possible about the algorithm, specifying any improvements to computer functionality achieved by the claimed invention, and phrasing the title, abstract, and claims so that the application is routed to a certain art unit.  However, once a patent issues, whether it will survive subject matter eligibility challenges in court remains uncertain given the Federal Circuit’s treatment of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Guidance as not binding.  Going forward, we should expect to see additional efforts by the USPTO to clarify subject matter eligibility and attempt to reconcile its differences with the Federal Circuit.  The USPTO just announced its <a href="https://www.uspto.gov/patents/initiatives/patent-application-initiatives/deferred-subject-matter-eligibility-response#:~:text=The%20Deferred%20Subject%20Matter%20Eligibility,to%20traditional%20compact%20prosecution%20practice." target="_blank">Deferred Subject Matter Eligibility Response (DSMER) Pilot Program</a>, designed to evaluate the impact of deferred responses on subject matter eligibility.  The USPTO will also likely update its Guidance in the coming year, which it has historically updated every 1‑2 years but has not since October 2019.

A former lead engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Nguyen focuses her practice on domestic and international patent prosecution. She is a founder and co-leader of the firm’s Life Scienc

Jean Nguyen Ph.D.

Jean Nguyen

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Bioinformatics Patents – Subject Matter Eligibility in 2022

Bioinformatics Patents – Subject Matter Eligibility in 2022

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The increasing presence of data-driven solutions in the healthcare and life sciences sector is apparent from the rise in numbers of patents and patent applicati