Mitigating Copyright Issues in Remote Learning

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Remote learning raises important questions related to how copyright protected materials can be used in an online learning environment. One of the more frequent myths that we hear is that copyright law does not apply to a situation because that situation is educational in nature. However, just because a use is educational in nature, does […]

Has the Federal Circuit Made It Nearly Impossible to Maintain Genus Claims?

By Blog Staff

A recent denial by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to hear an appeal by Merck’s Idenix Pharmaceuticals LLC (Idenix), leaves unanswered questions regarding the overall validity of genus claims, particularly within the biopharma field. The SCOTUS denied a petition for writ of certiorari to clarify certain Section 112 requirements with respect to […]

A Blizzard and a Regulatory Freeze

By Cassie J. Edgar

For those in the Midwest today, I hope you are staying warm & are ready for the predicted snowfall and wind gusts currently in progress. There’s been a lot of news in recent months about agricultural biotechnology regulatory changes underway at various stages of public comment and implementation (7 CFR part 340, proposed EPA rules […]

Praised Patent Office Director Resigns

By Kirk M. Hartung

United States Patent and Trademark Office Director Andrei Iancu resigned as director of the agency, receiving high praise from the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Thom Tillis (North Carolina).  Senator Tillis told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 19 that Iancu’s leadership was the “gold standard,” and that Iancu […]

USPTO Report on Intellectual Property in China: Value, Validity, and Volume

By Sarah M.D. Luth

Last January the U.S. and China signed an Economic Trade Agreement which required China to overhaul its scheme of intellectual property protection. In October of 2020 the National People’s Congress passed new amendments to the Patent Law, which will come into effect on June 1, 2021. The most significant amendments to China’s patent law relate […]

Right to Repair: Infringement or Exhaustion Part 2

This post is part 2 of a series of posts relating to a person’s right to repair your purchased products. Part 1 discussed the general background and several policy arguments surrounding both sides of this issue. This post will discuss the main patent laws and legal doctrine related to the right to repair. The central […]

Charles P. Romano, Ph.D. Joins McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC

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MVS is excited to announce that Charles P. Romano, Ph.D. has joined MVS as a Senior Patent Agent. Charley, who is a registered patent agent, will bring over 30 years of biotech industry experience and doctorate in biochemistry to serve clients in the biotech industry and university sectors. “Charley has worked for Monsanto and in […]

Federal Circuit affirms introduction of evidence in IPR petitioner’s reply briefs

By Joseph M. Hallman

On November 25, 2020, in VidStream LLC v. Twitter, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”) affirmed an appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) holding evidence introduced by the petitioner in a reply brief of an inter partes review (“IPR”) proceeding, after the petition had been […]

Breakthrough in Protein Structure Prediction

By Brian D. Keppler, Ph.D.

Knowing the three-dimensional structure of a particular protein is critical in determining its function and has implications for everything from treating human disease to herbicide resistant plants. Researchers currently use experimental techniques such as x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, or cryo-electron microscopy to establish the structure. However, these techniques are time consuming and can take […]

Celebrating Technology Transfer Professionals Day on December 12th

By Heidi Sease Nebel

Tomorrow we celebrate Technology Transfer Professionals Day and salute all those who work in helping our universities and research institutions in advancing their discoveries to a final product or service. These professionals are responsible for successful innovation management, corporate engagement, protecting and licensing inventions to companies, new venture creation and incubation, and economic development. This […]