USPTO to Launch New Patent Issue Procedure on April 18: What You Need to Know
- In a recent press release, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that, starting on April 18, 2023, the Office would begin issuing electronic patent grants (eGrants) to patent recipients. This process delivers the official copy of patent grants in an electronic format,... ›
U.S. Plant Variety Protection Office Invited Comments on UPOV Test Guidelines and Is Aligning Exhibit C Forms with UPOV
By: Claire L. Bendix Ph.D., Deborah A. Pohlmann Ph.D. and Michael Ward Ph.D.
On April 3, 2023, the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) held a preparatory session for the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Technical Working Party for Vegetables (TWV) and Technical Working Party for Agricultural Crops (TWA) virtual meetings... ›Recent Updates on Use of Post-filing Data as Evidence to Support Patentability
By: Liz Newman Ph.D. and Karen G Potter Ph.D.
In a “first to file” patent system as exists in the United States and in most countries throughout the world, timing of when to file a patent application is critically important but must be balanced by patentability requirements such as nonobviousness and enablement. This... ›USDA PVP Office Waives Deposit Requirement for Asexually Reproduced Plants
By: Edith A. Pierre-Jerome Ph.D., Liz Freeman Rosenzweig Ph.D. and Cory Ellison Ph.D.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) has waived the deposit requirement for asexually reproduced plants until further notice due to “continued and ongoing technical challenges and infeasibilities.” The announcement specified that any future requirements for a deposit will not... ›Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk: Federal Circuit Finds Milk Vitamin Patent Invalid
By: Meghan McLean Poon Ph.D.
In ChromaDex Inc. v. Elysium Health Inc. ,[1] the Federal Circuit found U.S. Patent No. 8,197,807 (the “’807 patent”), which is directed to a dietary supplement comprising an isolated vitamin, invalid for lack of subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. ChromaDex, a... ›USDA and USPTO Promoting Fair Competition and Innovation in the Seed Marketplace
By: Michael Ward Ph.D. and Claire L. Bendix Ph.D.
Update : USDA announced on March 23, 2023 that the Interagency Working Group on Competition and Intellectual Property in Seeds and Other Agricultural Inputs was officially launched. On March 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its report on “ More and... ›EU MDR and IVDR Implementation: Signs of Relaxing Transitioning Regime and Bridging Measures
By: Wolfgang Schönig and Robert Grohmann
Concerns over possible medical device shortages in the EU have led to two recent developments that will affect the implementation of the Medical Device Regulation [1] ( MDR ) and In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device Regulation [2] ( IVDR ) : The EU Employment,... ›Relabeling vs. Repackaging: CJEU Backs Drug Manufacturers’ Position Against Parallel Importers
By: Robert Grohmann
In two recent landmark decisions, Novartis v. Abacus (C ‑ 147/20) and Bayer v. kohlpharma (C-204/20), the Court of Justice of the European Union ( CJEU ) strengthened the position of drug manufacturers against repackaging practices of parallel importers. The court held that, based... ›USDA’s PVP System Embraces Transgenic and Gene Edited Plants
By: Liz Freeman Rosenzweig Ph.D., Christopher D Lew, Abby C. Burrus Ph.D. and Michael Ward Ph.D.
This is an excerpt from a longer piece. For more information on the history and landscape of PVPs on transgenic plants, read more. Plant Variety Protection (PVP) is a form of intellectual property protection administered through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for... ›Top Three IP Issues for AgTech Startups
By: Matthew A. Ferry and Edith A. Pierre-Jerome Ph.D.
Innovation, agriculture, and technology took center stage at San Diego’s first AgTech Hackathon. The event took place October 21 – 23 in the city of Escondido, a key farming hub in San Diego County looking to attract agtech startups to the region. The event... ›