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Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Patent and Trademark Appeal Board (PTAB) handed down its decision in the contentious CRISPR patent battle between UC Berkeley and the Broad Institute. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the PTAB ruled that there existed no interference-in-fact between the patents and patent applications held by the Broad Institute and those held by UC Berkeley. In short, the PTAB was looking to whether the Broad Institute claims and the UC Berkeley claims were overlapping and if so, would have determined which party had first made the invention. The PTAB clearly stated there exists no overlap, or interference-in-fact, meaning that each institution will be allowed to license and assert its patents as it wishes, granting a victory to the Broad Institute in what has evolved into an extended, and at times, a bitter CRISPR patent battle.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli, Partner at Dilworth IP, will be co-hosting the CURE Legislative Briefing entitled “Biotech Drug Discovery: Innovation, Process and Talent” on Thursday, February 23rd from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford. The event will gather members of the Connecticut bioscience community and of Connecticut’s General Assembly for a discussion on the research and innovation involved in drug discovery; Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy will be presenting the opening remarks.

On December 2016, another CAR-T patent fight temporarily came to the end by the issuing of the final written decision from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) (IPR2015-01719). This Inter Partes Review (IPR) was initiated by Kite Pharma Inc. (“Kite”) to challenge a patent held by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), relating to chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T-cells for cancer immunotherapy (US 7,446,190). The IPR petition was filed on August 2015 and granted by the US PTAB on February 2016. After review, the PTAB determined that Kite did not show by a preponderance of the evidence that all the claims in the ‘190 patent are unpatentable.

The USPTO has expanded its practice of testing the veracity of post-registration Declarations of Use under a program intended to improve accuracy and integrity of the trademark register, under a new rule which goes into effect Feb. 17, 2017. The rule formalizes a small-scale trial program in effect since 2012.

Under the new rule, the USPTO may respond to the filing of a Declaration of Use by requiring additional proof of use of the mark in connection with the goods/services identified in the registration. The additional proof may be provided in the form of information, exhibits, affidavits or declarations, and specimens of use. A registrant who cannot produce the additional proof of use for particular goods/services, or an acceptable claim of excusable nonuse, will be advised to cancel those goods/services from the registration as well as any others no longer being offered under the mark.

The Board of Directors of the Connecticut China Council has elected Michael Dilworth, Founder and Managing Partner of Dilworth IP, to join its ranks. The Council was founded in 1989 after then Governor William O’Neill signed a sister state agreement with Shandong Province in order to help the state of Connecticut to foster and promote relations with Shandong Providence. Since then, the Council has hosted delegations from China, established a sister school relationship between Connecticut high schools and Shandong Province middle schools, and helped to form the Connecticut China Scholars Program. In 2012 the sister state agreement was enhanced by Governor Dannell Malloy’s official visit to Shandong Province, and the Council has since expanded its mission to include serving as a forum for Connecticut businesses doing business with China. Michael commented, “it is a great honor to join the Council’s Board of Directors; China’s industry is growing rapidly, and I am excited to work with the other members in their continued effort to develop the relationship between our state and Shandong Province.”

Research into the human microbiome has resulted in such unprecedented amounts of data that challenges related to both interpretation and management have emerged. Somewhat paradoxically, current statistical methods have made it such that it is more difficult and less likely to identify statistically significant results from large data sets. We see much potential for the expansion of intellectual property protection in the area of big data related to the microbiome, not only as a result of recent research advances and the desire to better and more efficiently handle big data, but also because of several recent Federal Circuit decisions in intellectual property law that provide some promising guidance for protecting software and computing information that may be required for managing and interpreting microbiome-related data. Moreover, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has provided examples for crafting potentially patent eligible claims in this space, a promising step forward in what has become a difficult area for IP protection.

In late December, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released a series of subject matter eligibility examples meant to provide guidance for drafting claims pertaining to business methods. This is the first time that the USPTO has issued guidance on such matters. The examples, labeled 34, 35, and 36, serve to clarify the validity of claims pertaining to abstract matters under 35 U.S.C. § 101 and focus on a system for filtering internet content, verifying a bank customer’s identity to permit an ATM transaction, and tracking inventory, respectively. Interestingly, while the fact patterns and claims of 35 and 36 are hypothetical, example 34 is taken directly from BASCOM Global Internet v. AT&T Mobility LLC where the claims were ruled eligible by the Federal Circuit in 2016. BASCOM has played an important role in the changing landscape of software-related patents.

Back in December, the Supreme Court accepted a petition in the case of TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods, one of the few patent-centric cases recently taken up by the Court. Interestingly, for this review, the case does not focus on the claims or scope of a particular patent, but instead on a fundamental question in patent litigation: that of venue. The implications for this case are vast. Currently, the Eastern District of Texas is a desired district for litigating patent cases. Should the Supreme Court overturn the Federal Circuit’s ruling on patent venues, which states that patentees can bring suit in a district even if they do not have a business presence in that district, the redistribution of patent litigation could be both swift and unpredictable.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli and Nicholas Vincent of Dilworth IP will be offering a FREE webinar on Wednesday, February 22nd at 2:00 PM (EST). This installment in the Dilworth IP Webinar Series is entitled Patenting the Microbiome: Trends, Challenges, and Insights, and will offer an overview of the microbiome; specifically, the IP challenges that it presents, and recommendations for a robust path forward. Research in the microbiome seeks to characterize the microorganism that live in and on different environments, including the human body. Recent developments in this area are revolutionizing the life sciences, because they have the potential to radically improve treatments for dozens of common ailments and greatly improve the quality of life for many who suffer from these conditions. Despite the promise and excitement of this important research area, the IP aspects are challenging. For example, the threshold question of patent subject matter eligibility under 35 USC 101 is still a confusing and uncertain issue in this area.

This webinar is a must attend for patent practitioners, inventors, business leaders, research directors, and others in the life sciences industry seeking perspective and clarity on the IP challenges around the microbiome.

Dilworth IP is pleased to announce that Tom DeFelice, the Firm’s Director of Client Development and Operations, has earned the professional designation of Certified Legal Manager (CLM) from the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA). The CLM certification is reserved for those individuals who have demonstrated a mastery in essential aspects of legal management, including financial management, human resources, operations and processes, and legal industry and business management. With fewer than 450 CLMs currently worldwide, Mr. DeFelice’s certification represents Dilworth IP’s dedication to excellence. Dilworth IP Founder and Managing Partner, Michael Dilworth commented, “this is a great achievement for both Tom and for the Firm. Knowing that we have someone with Tom’s experience and credentials overseeing the Firm’s operations and management feels great and is a sign of the Firm’s commitment to serving our clients well.”

For more information about the ALA’s Certified Legal Manager certification, Click Here.