| INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY BROWN BAG
Sponsored with Suffolk University Law School's IP Law Concentration
Please Note: This course has already
been held.
Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Location: Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston, MA
Time: 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Registration Information
ABOUT THE SERIES The goal of the Luncheon Series is to establish a forum where local practitioners, alumni, and current students may come together to informally discuss practice problems and recent developments in the law. The series is intended to ease the transition from law school to practice. Roundtable discussions may provide solutions to practice problems, as well as an opportunity to discuss new law and develop practice strategies. The series will also create networking and referral opportunities for local attorneys and alumni. This is a public interest service intended to provide an educational forum for members of the bar.
TOPIC:
ARE GENE-RELATED INVENTIONS PATENTABLE?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 12 noon to 2 p.m. That is the central question asked in Association for Molecular Pathology v. United States Patent and Trademark Office, more familiarly known as ACLU v. Myriad, currently pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The case could have a profound effect on personalized medicine, particularly on the use of DNA sequences in diagnostics used to test for predisposition to certain cancers or other diseases and the effectiveness of certain medications.
In the case, the ACLU represents a group of plaintiffs, including university medical researchers and patients that have challenged patents owned or licensed by Myriad Genetics, Inc. These patents are directed to various diagnostics tests and diagnostic methods that rely on the detection of mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to determine predisposition to breast and ovarian cancers. The ACLU contends that such patents monopolize laws of nature, thought, and our DNA and thus should not have been granted. Myriad contends that the patents validly claim practical applications of isolated gene fragments, not the genes themselves, and that without patents, it would not have made the multi-million dollar investment required to bring these life-saving diagnostic tests to market.
SPEAKER:
ERIK PAUL BELT, A PARTNER IN THE IP/IT
GROUP OF MCCARTER & ENGLISH, LLP With two other McCarter & English partners, Lee Bromberg and Maria Zacharakis, Ph.D., Erik wrote and submitted an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Boston Patent Law Association ("BPLA") supporting Myriad's position. The BPLA argues that the ACLU's attack on Myriad's patents must be seen as part of a larger and detrimental attack on the patent system. The BPLA further argues that the patents at issue were appropriately granted and that such gene-related inventions, in general, are eligible for patent protection.
| Date: |
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 |
| Tuition: |
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The Luncheon Series is FREE However, we ask that you register in advance to reserve a seat. LUNCH IS NOT INCLUDED
Please bring your own brown bag lunch. We will provide coffee, cold drinks and dessert.
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| Walk-Ins: |
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Space is limited. Registrations at the door are welcomed but please register in advance to reserve a seat or call to confirm space availability.
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| Location: |
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Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston, MA
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| Credit: |
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There are not CLE credits for this program.
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Special
Needs: |
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If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify us as soon as possible.
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Directions to the Law School.
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Library 
