Several years ago, drug maker Gilead Science Inc. applied for a Chinese patent for the use of Remdesivir against coronaviruses. Remdesivir was originally intended to treat Ebola but was also shown to inhibit coronaviruses, such as SARS.
Recently, scientists at the government-run Wuhan Institute of Virology, along with a military laboratory, reportedlyapplied to patent the use of Remdesivir to treat the specific coronavirus, Covid-19, which is being blamed for the recent outbreak.
No decision has been made regarding the Gilead patent application. However, if approved, as a member of the WTO, the Chinese government may be able to use the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement to obtain a compulsory licence for Remdesivir. If so, the Chinese government would decide, subject to any appeal, what payment Gilead would receive.
In considering the Wuhan Institute’s application, the Chinese patent office will likely have to consider issues of anticipation and obviousness.
For its part, Gilead is helping end the current crisis by working with health authorities. The company is reportedly providing Remdesivir for emergency use in clinical trials.
In vitro studies of Remdesivir and chloroquine have been published in Cell Research, stating that the mixture is effective for inhibiting Covid-19.
There has been a reported surge in trademark phishing scams. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”) issued a statement warning of an email phishing scam targeting members of the public by…
A few recent patent applications reveal that the Honda Element may be making its return to the automotive industry: The first patent application is a “camper for a vehicle”. The second…
Kory McDonald, the creator of “Worldle”, a geography-themed game, is advocating on behalf of all games ending in “-le”. Worldle shows a series of Google Street view images from which players…
Steve King, the former Iowa Republican Congressman, has reportedly lost his appeal attempting to overturn a copyright verdict for using the “Success Kid” meme in his 2020 campaign. The “Success…
Alaska Airlines (“Alaska”) recently lost an appeal over a trademark licensing agreement at the Court of Appeal in London, in a decision favoring Virgin Group. Alaska was ordered to pay approximately…
A federal judge in California reportedly dismissed a lawsuit for breach-of-contract and tort claims brought by Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, against Bright Data, in a case involving data…
