FDALegislativeWatch

Senators Oppose Patent Reform Provisions; GSK Also Urges Revisions To Bill

This article is reprinted from "The Pink Sheet" - January 28, 2008.

As patent reform legislation heads toward the Senate floor, members of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries are imploring legislators to alter key provisions. And a group of senators is criticizing the bill's formulation for apportioning damage awards in infringement suits.

GlaxoSmithKline sent a letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and ranking member Arlen Specter, R-Pa., requesting that the Senate delete a provision that would require patent applicants to report all information relevant to the patentability of their inventions.

PTO Hit With Second Lawsuit Opposing Continuation Rules As GSK Joins Fray

GlaxoSmithKline has filed suit against the Patent and Trademark Office to block new rules limiting the number of continuation applications a patent holder can file.

Patent Reform Face-Off Turns To Face Time For Pharma And Tech Companies

Pushing to craft a final patent reform bill that's acceptable to everyone, Senator Patrick Leahy. D-Vt., called together representatives from the pharmaceutical, biotech, software and financial services industries, universities, labor organizations and inventors. The groups hunkered down with Leahy's staff on Sept. 24 to tweak the bill's provisions.

House-Cleared Patent Reform Bill Is Likely Not The Final Word

A sponsor of the House-passed patent reform bill indicated that a provision strongly opposed by device firms is likely to be revised before it becomes law.

Federal Judges Weigh In On Patent Reform, Supreme Court's KSR Ruling

During the House floor debate on patent reform, legislators boasted that they had sought input from all the industries and organizations affected by the legislation. But they apparently overlooked one of the groups most steeped in patent litigation: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Patent Reform Bill Clears House; BIO Opposes Provision on Damages Awards

A House patent reform provision on apportionment of damages in infringement suits is likely to be revised, despite House passage of the legislation Sept. 7 by a vote of 220-175.

Trimming Patent Application Review Backlog Takes Center Stage In Reform

While improvements in patent and IP protection are sought by the dietary supplement and other industries, the "real issue" is the backlog of cases before the Patent and Trademark Office, said Daniel Fabricant, the Natural Products Association's vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs.

New Patent Rules May Hurt Biotech Industry; Limits Set On Certain Filings

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is implementing new rules on patent filings that will make it tougher for biotechnology companies to protect their inventions.

PTO Proposed Rule Could Force Drug Firms To File More Patent Applications

Biotech and pharmaceutical companies may have to spend more time and money to patent their inventions under a new regulation proposed by the Patent and Trademark Office.

Patent Reform Bills Clear House And Senate Judiciary Committees

The House and Senate Judiciary Committees each approved versions of patent reform legislation the week of June 16 that respond to some concerns raised by drug and medical device lobbyists, but that still leave industry unsatisfied and primed to seek changes before the bills go to a floor vote.