Biotech and Pharma: Being Patent Ready | 22.06.20

What will the talk cover?

GJE Expert IP Talks will be delving into all of the core areas of IP practice.  The focus will be on UK and European systems but we will also cover the worldwide context.

This talk in the series will offer practical guidance on the early stages of identifying and capturing inventions in the chemistry and life science fields.  We will explore special considerations in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields relating to recognising patent readiness.  In these fields timing is everything: filing too early, or indeed too late, can result in an invalid patent.  Picking up some of the themes discussed in our earlier talk on patent strategy and lifecycle management, this talk will provide practical advice on how to capture innovation and build patent portfolios that will add value and survive due diligence.

We will discuss what can be patented in Biotech and Pharma in Europe and in the US and what is prohibited by patent law, along with strategies to overcome these prohibitions. As well as revealing simple steps that can be taken to get patent ready and keep the cost of drafting patent applications down, we will discuss the level of experimentation and data required before filing a patent application and how these considerations differ for different types of invention across biotech and pharma. Patent quality is now far more important than patent quantity and this talk will provide you with the framework necessary to build quality portfolios to support investment in your technology.

Who will be speaking?

Dr Ross Cummings is a Chartered and European Patent Attorney.  He specialises in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, with a particular interest in immunological approaches to disease prevention and cure, and biotechnological approaches to food production.

Ross works with a wide range of clients from small start-ups and universities to more established firms in the UK and Europe.  His core practice is drafting and prosecuting patent applications in Europe and worldwide but Ross also has significant experience in investment due diligence both in private practice and in-house.  Ross works closely with management teams to devise and execute a patent strategy that supports their commercial goals.  Ross also has a very strong track record of success in both defending and attacking granted patents in opposition proceedings at the European Patent Office.  Ross’ clients appreciate his commercially focused, clear and detailed guidance.