Member Article

The world is desperately seeking a vaccine and treatments against COVID-19 and the answer will also be found in intellectual property. For this reason, PLMJ and Inventa International have joined forces toprepare a Digest on these issues that is continuously updated. Readers of this Digest will have complete and up-to-date information on the crossover between the area of intellectual property and the challenges of COVID-19, especially regarding patents and utility models, as well as all the information on the path to obtaining avaccine.

1. Patents

This week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccine results using RNA technology had exceeded expectations. Last month, Moderna Therapeutics, one of the world leaders in the race to produce a vaccine using the same technology, stated that “(...) we will not apply our COVID-19-related patents against those who are manufacturing vaccines to fight the pandemic (...)”. Read more at ipwatchdog.com

Islamabad, Pakistan - A group of developing countries, led by South Africa and India, will press the World Trade Organization to release COVID-19 vaccines from patent protections, so they can be more affordable for poor countries. Read more at www.wsj.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering granting an exclusive licence for a government patent for new equipment to detect COVID-19. Read more at bloomberglaw.com

Working from home will last longer than the pandemic - at least that is what US patent applications suggest. The blockages triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a significant shift in new patent applications regarding technologies that support remote working. Read more at chicagobooth.edu

to read the full article, please see here