In Bilski v. Kappos, the U.S. Supreme Court will address limitations on patentable subject matter in the context of a business method invention, analyzing a body of case law in such a way that some say could call into question the validity of many other patents and types of claims, while others argue it is not restrictive enough. PIJIP and the FCBA hosted a Bilskipanel discussion of experts shortly after the Court heard oral arguments.

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National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging that he amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to more directly and effectively lower the cost of pharmaceuticals. The letter included criticism of the biogeneric provisions that would allow brand name firms to use consecutive 12 year periods of data exclusivity to block generic entry.

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Professor Dreyfuss will examine the interaction of the Supreme Court and the First Circuit, asking questions about the role that specialists should be permitted to play in tailoring law to the needs of technologically complex and emerging industries, and the extent to which generalists can helpfully intervene to keep this law in the mainstream and attuned to other social values and related developments, such as open innovation.

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PIJIP Professors Victoria Phillips and Christine Haight Farley today filed an amicus brief in Harjo v. Pro-Football on behalf of 33 law professors. The plaintiff in the case has asked the Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the trademark registration of the Washington Redskins football team because it is disparaging to Native Americans.

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On October 16, 2009, PIJIP and Prescription Policy Choices will co-host "Lawyering for Access" to discuss actions state governments have taken to control pharmaceutical costs, as well as the roles of legislation and litigation in pharmaceutical policy. Participants will include legal academics, stater government officials, and attorneys involved in landmark pharmaceuticals litigation. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WEBCAST

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On October 15, 2009, Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property Associate Director Sean Fiil-Flynn will testify in front of the Maine Judiciary Committee as part of its review of P.L. 2009, c. 230, Maine’s Act To Prevent Predatory Marketing Practices against Minors. The Maine Act limits marketers’ use of personally identifiable data to market to minors.

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The international medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières is calling on nine of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to help accelerate the availability of new treatments for millions of people living with HIV/AIDS by pooling their patents on a list of key HIV medicines. A patent pool is a mechanism whereby patents held by different parties are brought together and are made available to others upon payment of a royalty.

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PIJIP, UNDP, and the Open Society Institute have concluded a meeting of government officials and civil society representatives from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Participants issued a resolution calling on governments, legislators, and others to recognize that trade agreements can raise prices and block access to medicines, and to take steps in the future protect access to medicines from overreaching trade policy.

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At 12:30, PIJIP professors Michael Carroll and Peter Jaszi will be joined by Michele Woods, Senior Counsel for Policy and International Affairs at the Office of Policy and International Affairs of the U.S. Copyright Office for a discussion of international copyright policy. At 2:00, WCL Alumnus Mark Lerner will describe his career as Counsel for Bally Technologies.

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KIEV, UKRAINE – At the conclusion of an intellectual property and access to medicines training conducted by PIJIP, Mohyla University, and the Open Society Institute, the participants released a statement calling on Eastern European governments and international organizations to take steps to increase access to generic pegylated interferon for the treatment of Hepatitis C.

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