When Your Life Sciences Are on the Line: Protecting Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset: Trade Secrets
- - Corporate + Venture Capital, Employment, Financing, Global, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Privacy + Data Security, Regulatory, StartupMoFo partners Kate Driscoll and Nate Mendell launched the MoFo life sciences podcast When Your Life Sciences Are on the Line this week, and Episode 1 is now available. The podcast features interviews with legal experts who share insights and advice you just might... ›
USPTO Issues Reminder to Examiners on Proper “Means-Plus-Function” Analysis
By: Karen G Potter Ph.D. and Jeffrey W. Schmidt Ph.D.
On March 18, 2024, the USPTO issued a memorandum to its Examiners reminding them of the resources and proper analysis for interpreting limitations under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), which are commonly referred to as “means-plus-function” or “step-plus-function” limitations. These types of claim formats provide... ›USPTO Enablement Guidelines After Amgen v. Sanofi
By: Karen G Potter Ph.D., Meghan McLean Poon Ph.D. and Kelsey J. Roberts Kingman Ph.D.
On January 10, 2024, the USPTO released new Guidelines for Assessing Enablement in Utility Applications and Patents in View of the Supreme Court Decision in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi et al. The guidelines clarify that the USPTO’s framework for assessing enablement is... ›Biden Administration Proposes Novel Use of Price as Justification for Agency Exercise of March-In Rights for Government-Funded Inventions
By: Tina D. Reynolds and Daisuke Alexander Gatanaga
Presented as part of its effort to lower what it views as excessive prices for prescription drugs, the Biden administration on December 7, 2023, announced the release of a proposed framework to expand the use of government “march-in” authority under the Bayh-Dole Act. The... ›Patent Term Adjustment Takes a Hit in Cellect Decision
By: Meghan McLean Poon Ph.D.
Recently, the Federal Circuit addressed a significant issue of first impression with respect to obviousness-type double patenting (ODP), holding that ODP applies to patent claims that claim priority to the same application and have different expiration dates due only to patent term adjustment (PTA).... ›Legal Battles Continue Over Inflation Reduction Act’s Drug Price Negotiation Measures
By: Stacy Cline Amin and Joseph R. Palmore
In recent months, six different lawsuits have been filed challenging the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)’s Drug Price Negotiation Program (the “Program”), with a flurry of activity likely in the coming months before the Program’s first deadlines. Below we analyze the latest developments in the... ›Obviousness in Drug Combinations – Unexpected Results Vs. Unexpected Mechanisms of Action
By: Mark D. McBriar Ph.D., Bu Yin Ph.D., Ashley E. Sperbeck and Shawn O. Meade Ph.D.
Ascertaining the differences between prior art and claims at issue requires interpreting the claim language and considering both the invention and the prior art references as a whole. [1] The Supreme Court emphasized “the need for caution in granting a patent based on the... ›Mitigating Patent Risk in Gene Therapy Development
By: Daralyn Durie, Janet Xiao Ph.D. and Katherine E. McNutt
This article was first published by IAM on June 2, 2023 in its Special Report 2023 Q2: New Frontiers of Pharma and Biotech IP Strategy. Daralyn Durie, Janet Xiao and Katherine McNutt of Morrison Foerster explore strategies to reduce the threat of infringement liability... ›Supreme Court: U.S. Government Has Broad Discretion to Dismiss False Claims Act Suits
By: J. Alex Ward, Demme Doufekias, Adam L. Braverman and Joseph R. Palmore
On June 16, 2023, the Supreme Court issued a decision in United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc. , giving the United States government broad power to dismiss qui tam FCA lawsuits even when it has initially declined to intervene. We have... ›Practical Strategies for Protecting Innovations Under the Doctrine of Equivalents
By: Kelsey J. Roberts Kingman Ph.D. and Bu Yin Ph.D.
Recent case law highlights enablement and written description challenges for genus claims.[1] Given the challenges of enforcing genus claims, the doctrine of equivalents (DOE) may become a more important tool for patentees when literal infringement is unavailable. As discussed below, the outlook for successful... ›