Patent subject matter eligibility under Section 101 of the Patent Act has proven controversial for patents in the U.S. thanks in no small part to Supreme Court jurisprudence in cases such as Alice v. CLS Bank and Mayo v. Prometheus. In the latest development, the Court has declined to hear the American Axle case, which some see as presenting an exceptionally low bar for subject matter eligibility, leaving many observers despairing of any chance of restoring a decent patent system for makers of in vitro diagnostics and other items that are among the mainstays of the medical device industry.
Davita Inc., lost a U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding limits to the private payer coverage for outpatient dialysis services despite, a development that took a double-digit bite out of Davita’s shares. However, shares of competitor Fresenius also took a hit, suggesting that the market sees the decision as a major setback for both companies.
Winding down its current term, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 13 declined to hear appeals filed by Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor and former regional sales director Sunrise Lee.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled again on the appointments clause questions evolving from a patent dispute between Arthrex Inc. and Smith & Nephew Inc., this time in connection with a former acting director of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled again on the appointments clause questions evolving from a patent dispute between Arthrex Inc. and Smith & Nephew Inc., this time in connection with a former acting director of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
Ethicon Endosurgery Inc. and Intuitive Surgical Inc. have been sparring in the courts over patents for robot surgery systems for some time, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled on yet another of those disputes.
Acquisitions in the diagnostics space incurs some interesting liabilities, given recent case law regarding subject matter eligibility, but this is not the only trap door for the acquiring company. Roche Diagnostics Corp., of Indianapolis, managed to avoid an induced patent infringement charge by Meso Scale Diagnostics LLC in a recent hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in connection with Roche’s 2007 acquisition of Bioveris Corp.
The EU initiated a dispute complaint with the World Trade Organization over China’s intellectual property (IP) enforcement allowing Chinese courts to block infringement litigation worldwide. The Feb. 18 complaint, posted by the WTO last week, takes issue with Chinese courts issuing global injunctions barring patent holders from asserting their rights through legal proceedings in other countries until the case is settled in China.
The EU initiated a dispute complaint with the World Trade Organization over China’s intellectual property (IP) enforcement allowing Chinese courts to block infringement litigation worldwide. The Feb. 18 complaint, posted by the WTO last week, takes issue with Chinese courts issuing global injunctions barring patent holders from asserting their rights through legal proceedings in other countries until the case is settled in China.
Drug companies won another round in their battle with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over how many contract pharmacies must be given the steep discounts dictated under the 340B drug pricing program aimed at helping public clinics and hospitals provide charity care.