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This paper examines the patterns of technology transfer from Britain to France during the early phases of industrializing using a dataset comprising all patents granted in France in the period 1791–1844. Exploiting the peculiarities of French legislation, we construct an array of patent quality indicators and investigate their determinants. We find that patents filed by British inventors or French inventors with personal connections to British inventors were of relatively higher quality. Overall, our results show that the French innovation system was capable of attracting and effectively absorbing key technologies from Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective of the study: To evaluate in a statistical, temporal and comparative way, the competitiveness among states of the federation. Using as a metric, the volume of patents and public policies developed in the states. Being a reference for a practical and effective scenario, of solutions for a regional socio-economic development, with less discrepancies and a higher degree of solution. Having its base based on the innovation pillar of the competitiveness ranking among the states. Methodology: The study was conducted on a base of scientific journals and statistical patent reports via the National Institute of Industrial Property and the Orbit system, in addition to the technology transfer contracts registered in Brazil. Also used was the copy of the year 2021 of the competitiveness ranking among Brazilian states. Main Results: It was possible through the collected data the influence and importance measured through the innovation pillar for the competitiveness ranking among Brazilian states. The metric revealed the performance among the Brazilian federative units ranked there, identifying the possible correlation present between public policies for innovation, as well as the volume of production and patent protection. Three scales of observation were considered: 1) states in the best position in the ranking; 2) states in an intermediate position in the ranking, such as the state of Rio de Janeiro, currently seventeenth in the ranking; and 3) states in the worst positions, such as Acre and Roraima, currently twenty-sixth and seventh, respectively. Theoretical/methodological contributions: We sought to contribute with studies based on statistical analysis, as well as the collection of legislation that promotes public policies for innovation. And contributions that generate opportunities for deeper analysis to search for solutions not only parallel the concrete cases, but also to contribute to the Brazilian states, but that it is possible to gradually reduce their disparities among themselves, with regard to the search for the development of local innovation. Contributions of the association/management: It is hoped that this research will contribute to the study and exploitation of new opportunities, as well as proposals and possible solutions that can contribute to the improvement of a national innovation scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies in economics and regional science claim a positive link between interpersonal trust and innovation by demonstrating a positive effect of trust on patenting. This contrasts many findings from organization level studies on trust and innovation, who report a variety of findings including inverted‐U type relations. A possible explanation is that trust exhibits different roles in invention and innovation, as the former relies on knowledge commons while the latter directly embeds commercialization and the market context. This study attempts to reconcile the two set of findings by studying indicators of invention and innovation in relation to trust at the same unit of observation, by using the regional variation in Europe. I study the relationship between interpersonal trust and patent applications (a measure of invention), trademark applications (a composite indicator) and the share of innovative sales in turnover by SMEs (a direct indicator of commercialization), across European regions. I show that trust positively affects trademark applications with an effect that is comparable to that on patent applications. However, trust exhibits an inverted‐U type relationship with innovative sales. Results collectively point to a strong role of trust in all three creative activities, including a negative effect at the higher end when the indicator is directly contingent on commercialization and sales. I also estimate the extent of spatial spillovers in the effect of trust on all three creative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of natural products chemistry is ripe with innovation that underpins a broad range of industries. Patents are critical to incentivising the investment needed to drive this innovation and there is surprisingly broad scope to protect natural product-related inventions using patents. However, the patent process can be difficult to navigate and recent developments in case law, particularly in the United States (USA), have introduced further complexities into the patent system that undermine innovation in the natural products space. While steps are being taken to address these issues, we outline the requirements for patent eligibility in Australia, the US and Europe, and discuss the different aspects of natural products chemistry that may be considered patentable, to assist readers in navigating the current complexities of seeking patent protection. While there is surprisingly broad scope to protect natural product related inventions using patents, the patent process can be complex, particularly in view of recent legal developments in the United States. This article assists readers to navigate the complexities of seeking patent protection in the field of natural product chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital disorders of glycosylation are a group of more than 160 rare genetic defects in protein and lipid glycosylation. Since the first clinical report in 1980 of PMM2-CDG, the most common CDG worldwide, research made great strides, but nearly all of them are still missing a cure. CDG diagnosis has been at a rapid pace since the introduction of whole-exome/whole-genome sequencing as a diagnostic tool. Here, we retrace the history of CDG by analyzing all the patents associated with the topic. To this end, we explored the Espacenet database, extracted a list of patents, and then divided them into three major groups: (1) Drugs/therapeutic approaches for CDG, (2) Drug delivery tools for CDG, (3) Diagnostic tools for CDG. Despite the enormous scientific progress experienced in the last 30 years, diagnostic tools, drugs, and biomarkers are still urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: Question: How have manufacturers of brand-name glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists used the patent and regulatory system to extend periods of market exclusivity? Findings: Brand-name manufacturers obtained a median of 19.5 patents per GLP-1 receptor agonist and secured a median of 18.3 years of expected protection; more than half of all patents were obtained on the delivery devices rather than active ingredients. No generic competition has yet emerged on these products. Meaning: Long periods of market exclusivity on GLP-1 receptor agonists underscore the need for patent and regulatory reform on drug-device combinations. Importance: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists were first approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in 2005. Demand for these drugs has increased rapidly in recent years, as indications have expanded, but they remain expensive. Objective: To analyze how manufacturers of brand-name GLP-1 receptor agonists have used the patent and regulatory systems to extend periods of market exclusivity. Evidence Review: The annual US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Approved Drug Products With Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations was used to identify GLP-1 receptor agonists approved from 2005 to 2021 and to record patents and nonpatent statutory exclusivities listed for each product. Google Patents was used to extract additional data on patents, including whether each was obtained on the delivery device or another aspect of the product. The primary outcome was the duration of expected protection from generic competition, defined as the time elapsed from FDA approval until expiration of the last-to-expire patent or regulatory exclusivity. Findings: On the 10 GLP-1 receptor agonists included in the cohort, drug manufacturers listed with the FDA a median of 19.5 patents (IQR, 9.0-25.8) per product, including a median of 17 patents (IQR, 8.3-22.8) filed before FDA approval and 1.5 (IQR, 0-2.8) filed after FDA approval. Fifty-four percent of all patents listed on GLP-1 receptor agonists were on the delivery devices rather than active ingredients. Manufacturers augmented patent protection with a median of 2 regulatory exclusivities (IQR, 0-3) obtained at approval and 1 (IQR, 0.3-4.3) added after approval. The median total duration of expected protection after FDA approval, when accounting for both preapproval and postapproval patents and regulatory exclusivities, was 18.3 years (IQR, 16.0-19.4). No generic firm has successfully challenged patents on GLP-1 receptor agonists to gain FDA approval. Conclusions and Relevance: Patent and regulatory reform is needed to ensure timely generic entry of GLP-1 receptor agonists to the market. This Special Communication used data from the US Food and Drug Administration to analyze how manufacturers of brand-name glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have used patent and regulatory systems to extend periods of market exclusivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent surge of patent applications among public hospitals in China has aroused significant research interest. A country's healthcare innovation capacity can be measured by its number of patents. This paper explores the link between the number of patents and ten independent variables. Multicollinearity was carefully detected and removed by using the variable selection method and LASSO regression, respectively. The Poisson model and the negative binomial model were proposed to analyze the patent data. Three goodness of fit tests, the Pearson test, the deviance test, and the DHARMa non-parametric dispersion test, were conducted to investigate if the model has a good fit. After discovering four clusters by conducting agglomerative hierarchical clustering, these two models were replaced by the negative binomial mixed model. The likelihood ratio test was used to determine which model is more appropriate and the results reveal that the negative binomial mixed model outperforms both the Poisson model and the negative binomial model. Three variables, number of health technicians per 10,000 people, financial expenditure on science and technology as well as number of patent applications per 10,000 health personnel, have a significantly positive relationship with the number of patents in Chinese tertiary public hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review provides • Overview on repurposing types and trends in approvals. • The bridging study requirements for reformulations and new combinations. • Regulatory and intellectual property considerations with special emphasis on reformulations and new combinations. • Discussions of the need of an integrated intellectual property and regulatory strategy for the development of repurposed drug products. Repurposing is considered an attractive approach for developing new drug products. However, it consists of challenges relating to intellectual property (IP) protection, and regulatory approvals. This study aimed to analyze the recent trends in repurposed drugs approved by USFDA from 2010 to 2020 and to assess the challenges connected with bridging study requirements, patent protection, and exclusivities. Out of 1001 NDAs, 570 were approved via 505(b)(2) pathway. Of 570 NDAs, the highest number of approvals are allied to type 5-new formulations (42.4%), followed by type 3-new dosage forms (26.4%) and type 4-new combinations (13.1%). Of 570 NDAs, 470 are considered to examine the patent and exclusivity protection of which 341 have patent and/or exclusivity. A total of 97 type-3 and type-5 and 14 type-4 drugs have been approved based on human bioavailability/bioequivalence (BA/BE) data. For 131 type-3 and type-5 and 34 type-4 drugs, the applicants conducted new clinical (efficacy and/or safety) studies along with BA/BE (100 drugs) or without BA/BE (65 drugs) studies. In this review, mechanistic reasons for conducting new clinical investigations, IP and regulatory considerations along with broader perspective on new pharmaceutical approaches employed in 505(b)(2) drugs are illustrated that provide guidance for development of reformulations and combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the patent system in the pharmaceutical sector is highly debated also due to its strong public health implications. In this paper we develop an evolutionary, agent-based model of the pharmaceutical industry to explore the impact of different configurations of the patent system upon innovation and competition. The model is able to replicate the main stylized facts of the drug industry as emergent properties. We perform policy experiments to assess the impact of different Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regimes changing the breadth and length of patents. Results tend to point against a strong patent system. Simulation experiments suggest that the extent and duration of patents shall, if anything, be set to minimum levels. This holds even when one assumes a strong response of R&D incentives to appropriability conditions and when taking into account information disclosure effects triggered by patents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of these acoustical patent reviews is to provide enough information for a Journal reader to decide whether to seek more information from the patent itself. Any opinions expressed here are those of the reviewers as individuals and are not legal opinions. Patents are available via the internet at the USPTO website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last sixteen years, software-related inventions have encompassed the majority of all utility patents issued in the United States. Further, studies estimate that spending within the global information technology market will grow to $4.6 trillion in 2023, as industries such as data security, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence continue to innovate and expand at alarming rates. Needless to say, software is a crucial and ever-expanding industry for the global economy. In a series of recent cases, however, the Supreme Court injected unpredictability into the patenting of software and computer-implemented inventions by overhauling the long-standing patentable subject matter doctrine. Embodied in § 101 of the Patent Act, the "patentable subject matter" requirement for patent protection refers to the basic substantive categories of invention that Congress and the courts have considered to be appropriate for patenting. The Supreme Court's recent jurisprudence has massively expanded subject matter eligibility restrictions under § 101, thereby making it more difficult to obtain patent protection for certain types of inventions--notably, software inventions. As software patents have become more difficult to obtain and even more difficult to protect, the current patentable subject matter jurisprudence disparately harms small-scale inventors and startups who are reliant on the patent system to obtain crucial private capital from investors to support further innovation. Such issues are made glaringly apparent when comparing the domestic patentable subject matter jurisprudence to that of other technologically developed foreign nations, whose patent systems are more predictable and rewarding for software inventors. The Supreme Court's recent pivot has been met with substantial criticism by members of the intellectual property community across the political spectrum. Politicians, academics, district court and Federal Circuit judges, inventors, and former United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Directors have criticized the Supreme Court's framework and have urged Congress to act. Sparked by a recent denial for rehearing en banc wherein the Federal Circuit was evenly divided on the contours of § 101, followed by the Supreme Court's refusal to grant certiorari, senators and prominent law organizations pitched legislative proposals on the Senate floor to abrogate the Supreme Court's framework and better protect emerging technologies, including software. This Note pushes the need for legislative revision to counteract the negative effects of the Supreme Court's recent jurisprudence on the software industry and better align the United States with consistent global standards. Specifically, this Note thoroughly analyzes the history of the patentable subject matter doctrine, domestic proposals aimed at dismantling the current jurisprudence, and the way foreign patent systems handle patent eligibility restrictions for software inventions, to argue that domestic software innovation is disparately and negatively harmed by the Supreme Court's evolving framework for evaluating subject matter eligibility. Software innovation is paramount to the development of modern society, and thus the patent system should stand to support the patentability of software inventions, rather than hinder it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4‐thiazolidinone moiety is a privileged scaffold showing diversity in biological responses like antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer, antitubercular, anesthetic, hypnotic, antiviral and many more. As a result of this, researchers have been studying and synthesizing this class of heterocycles through several simple as well as complex pathways as the target scaffold for biological studies. This review recapitulates the recent advances in the chemical and biological activities of 4‐thiazolidinones that have proved to be of immense importance in the discovery and development of several molecules and, thereby, the treatment of many ailments. This study will add to previously published reviews by examining the research on various biological activities of 4‐thiazolidinones, including patents, with a focus on structure–activity relationship (SAR) investigations. Literature and patents emphasizing synthetic schemes and biological activities of 4‐thiazolidinones have covered the data in the last decade. Here, sufficient efforts have been put into place to compile the synthetic strategies, establish SARs and enlist various patents so far for this fantastic molecule. The facile synthetic schemes and a vast range of biological activity profiles possessed by this nucleus may provide researchers with new opportunities toward novel therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regions of meagre technology and market activities, traditional innovation metrics (patents and trademarks filed at international offices) may provide limited insight of the mechanisms of regional diversification and therefore policies, including smart specialization. We argue that in such regions, innovation activity, of lower value, can become the seed needed to grow to innovation of international calibre. We provide support by examining both domestic and international patent and trademark activity for Greece's NUTS 3 regions during 2000–2016. We further implement the principle of relatedness and show that regions with related technology (market) capabilities are more likely to exhibit new technology (market) specializations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with asthma and COPD rely on inhalers to control symptoms. Yet, these products remain expensive, in part because brand-name manufacturers have obtained numerous patents on inhalers, including on their delivery devices. Recent antitrust litigation has raised questions about the boundaries of listing device patents with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), particularly when patents do not claim any active ingredients. How have manufacturers relied on device patents to preserve market exclusivity on brand-name inhalers? We identified patents on brand-name inhalers approved for asthma and COPD between 1986 and 2020 using the FDA's Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (Orange Book). We extracted information about patents from LexisNexis TotalPatent One and Google Patents and searched device patents for mention of active ingredients or other prespecified features linking the patent to the relevant drug. For each inhaler, we determined the duration of protection added by device patents. The FDA approved 53 brand-name inhalers for asthma and COPD from 1986 through 2020, 39 of which had at least one device patent. One hundred thirty-seven distinct device patents were in the final cohort, representing 49% of all patents listed on inhalers. Seventy-seven percent of device patents made no mention of active ingredients or their molecular structures, and 72% made no mention of any relevant prespecified feature connecting the device patent to the drug product. For the 39 brand-name inhalers with one or more device patents listed in the Orange Book, device patents extended the duration of market protection by a median of 5.5 years (interquartile range, 0.0-10.5 years) beyond the last-to-expire nondevice patent. Patent and regulatory reform is needed to promote generic competition and to ensure that patients with asthma and COPD have access to affordable medications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding contributed >$187 billion for basic or applied research related to the 356 drugs approved 2010–2019. This analysis asks how much of this funding led to patents cited as providing market exclusivity, patents that would be subject to the provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act that promote and protect the public interest. The method involves identifying published research in PubMed related to the approved drugs (applied research) or their targets (basic research). NIH-funded projects (grants) funding these publications and patents arising from these projects were both identified in RePORT. Patents cited as providing market exclusivity were identified in DrugPatentWatch (which incorporates FDA Orange Book). NIH funded basic or applied research related to all 313 FDA-approved drugs 2010–2019 with at least one patent in DrugPatentWatch. This research comprised 350 thousand publications (9% applied research; 91% basic research) supported by 341 thousand fiscal years (project years) of NIH funding and $164 billion in NIH project year costs (17% applied research; 83% basic research). These NIH projects also produced 22,360 patents, 119 of which were cited in DrugPatentWatch as protecting 34/313 drugs. These patents were associated with 769 project years of NIH funding (0.23% total) and project year costs of $0.95 billion (0.59% total). Overall, only 1.5% of total NIH funding for applied research and 0.38% of total NIH funding for basic research was associated with patents in DrugPatentWatch. This analysis shows that very little of the NIH funding for research that contributes to new drug approvals leads to patents that provide market exclusivity and are subject to the provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act that promote the public interest in practical applications of the research, reasonable use and pricing, and a return on this public sector investment. This suggests that the Bayh-Dole Act is limited in its ability to protect the public interest in the pharmaceutical innovations driven by NIH-funded research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous researchers and institutions have been developing in ovo sexing technologies to improve animal welfare by identifying male embryos in an early embryonic stage and disposing of them before pain perception. This review gives a complete overview of the technological approaches reported in papers and patents by performing a thorough search using Web of Science and Patstat/Espacenet databases for papers and patents, respectively. Based on a total of 49 papers and 115 patent families reported until May 2023 worldwide, 11 technology categories were defined: 6 non-optical and 5 optical techniques. Every category was described for its characteristics while assessing its potential for application. Next, the dynamics of the publications of in ovo sexing techniques in both paper and patent fields were described through growth curves, and the interest or actual status was visualized using the number of paper citations and the actual legal status of the patents. When comparing the reported technologies in papers to those in patents, scientific gaps were observed, as some of the patented technologies were not reported in the scientific literature, e.g., ion mobility and mass spectrometry approaches. Generally, more diverse approaches in all categories were found in patents, although they do require more scientific evidence through papers or industrial adoption to prove their robustness. Moreover, although there is a recent trend for non-invasive techniques, invasive methods like analyzing DNA through PCR or hormones through immunosensing are still being reported (and might continue to be) in papers and patents. It was also observed that none of the technologies complies with all the industry requirements, although 5 companies already entered the market. On the one hand, more research and harmony between consumers, industry, and governments is necessary. On the other hand, close monitoring of the market performance of the currently available techniques will offer valuable insights into the potential and expectations of in ovo sexing techniques in the poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous researchers and institutions have been developing in ovo sexing technologies to improve animal welfare by identifying male embryos in an early embryonic stage and disposing of them before pain perception. This review gives a complete overview of the technological approaches reported in papers and patents by performing a thorough search using Web of Science and Patstat/Espacenet databases for papers and patents, respectively. Based on a total of 49 papers and 115 patent families reported until May 2023 worldwide, 11 technology categories were defined: 6 non-optical and 5 optical techniques. Every category was described for its characteristics while assessing its potential for application. Next, the dynamics of the publications of in ovo sexing techniques in both paper and patent fields were described through growth curves, and the interest or actual status was visualized using the number of paper citations and the actual legal status of the patents. When comparing the reported technologies in papers to those in patents, scientific gaps were observed, as some of the patented technologies were not reported in the scientific literature, e.g., ion mobility and mass spectrometry approaches. Generally, more diverse approaches in all categories were found in patents, although they do require more scientific evidence through papers or industrial adoption to prove their robustness. Moreover, although there is a recent trend for non-invasive techniques, invasive methods like analyzing DNA through PCR or hormones through immunosensing are still being reported (and might continue to be) in papers and patents. It was also observed that none of the technologies complies with all the industry requirements, although 5 companies already entered the market. On the one hand, more research and harmony between consumers, industry, and governments is necessary. On the other hand, close monitoring of the market performance of the currently available techniques will offer valuable insights into the potential and expectations of in ovo sexing techniques in the poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a garbage truck's worth of plastic being dumped in the ocean each minute, there is a dire need for effective technological solutions aimed at mitigating the marine plastic pollution problem. However, the reliance of the U.S. patent system on market demand to incentivize this type of innovation has proven insufficient in light of the peculiarities of "green" technologies. To remedy this, this article proposes a multi-faceted incentivization approach that looks beyond the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to stimulate the development of remediation technologies through comprehensive regulatory interventions, the establishment of prize funds and other alternative incentive mechanisms, and targeted reforms to patent procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental deterioration is a substantial hazard to sustainable development. To add new dimensions to the discussion. This study aims to consider the impact of patents on environmental technology and environmental degradation in Iceland, along with other indicators, such as economic growth, primary energy consumption (PEC) and trade openness. This effect has not been comprehensively examined in the case of Iceland's economy. To this end, the study adopted novel econometric Fourier‐based estimators. The Fourier‐augmented Dickey–Fuller (F‐ADF) unit root tests, Fourier‐autoregressive distributive lag (F‐ARDL) cointegration test, F‐ARDL for long run estimation, and the Fourier‐Toda and Yamamoto (Fourier TY) causality test to determine the impact of explanatory and control indicators on production‐based CO2 emissions for the period 1995Q1 to 2019Q4. The findings revealed the impact of environmental technology and trade openness is negative and mitigates production‐based CO2 emissions and increases environmental sustainability in Iceland. In contrast, economic growth and PEC were found to have harmful and positive influences on production‐based CO2 emissions and increases environmental deterioration in the region. In addition, the Fourier TY causality test suggests unidirectional causality between these indicators in Iceland and the outcome further confirms that environmental technology and trade openness are vital for decreasing production‐based CO2 emissions in Iceland. Thus, the study findings benefit policymakers in adopting green innovation activities that increase sustainable energy resources and minimize the detrimental effects of a boost in economic activities in Iceland for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1911, India has maintained a legal framework for the protection of inventions through the Patents and Designs Act. The current Patents Act of 1970 (Office of the Controller General of Patents, Design and Trademarks), enacted in 1972 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, grants inventors an exclusive right for twenty years from the date of filing their application. In case of applications under the Patent Cooperative Treaty (PCT), this period commences from the international filing date. Notably, patent holders must annually renew their patent by paying a prescribed fee and restoration requests can be submitted within eighteen months of the patent's expiration date. The adoption of electronic formats has significantly expedited the examination process and eliminated the cumbersome handling of extensive paper documentation. The terms "Patent" and "e-Patent" are interchangeable, with the latter referring to patents filed electronically. The Indian Patent Office (IPO) has embraced the concept of electronic communication with stakeholders since the introduction of the e-filing service in 2007. According to the Patent (Amendment) Rules 2016, e-filing became mandatory on May 16, 2016, marking the discontinuation of manual patent filings. In summary, e-patents offer flexibility, expedited processing, a patent application can be filed at any time and place, increase number of patent application accuracy, and adherence topatent format standards. The transition to electronic filing reflects a modernized and efficient approach to patent management in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire-refined copper (FRHC) has several applications, mainly in the production of electrical wires and cables; metal with a high content of impurities, especially oxygen, whose high concentration of impurities can affect the properties of the material. Among the properties, the high thermal and electrical conductivity stands out. This article aims to conduct a scientific and technological survey on the influence of impurities on copper properties. The methodology used is a bibliometric review based on Web of Science and ScienceDirect is Elsevier's scientific bases, to search for articles, and patent mapping on the EPO and Google Patents platform. As a result, 34 articles and 13 related patents were obtained, being noticeable in recent years, the lack of evolution and innovation of new methods and technologies for refining copper, mainly aimed at containing impurities, with trends in China, the United States, Australia, poland, canada. United Kingdom and Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is an open question of whether patent thickets coincide or differ across jurisdictions. Taking Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) technology as an example, this paper applies the social network analysis method to study the diversity and coincidence of patent thickets. The evolution of patent thicket density in the USA has a similar pattern with Europe and Japan, but it differs from China, Germany and South Korea. This paper uses the degree centrality, which is the number of one node directly connecting to the other nodes in a given network, to explore the patent thicket structure. We find critical multinational companies with higher degree centrality coincides across patent thickets, while most patentees with lower degree centrality do not co-occur in other patent thickets. The diversity of patent thickets implies companies should implement differential patent strategies in various markets. In contrast, the coincidence means patent holders who co-occurred in different patent thickets could be potential patent licensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the current technological level and industrial/technical trends in the field of biomimicry technology, as well as recent technological and research and development trends. Patent analysis was conducted, focusing on technology that uses design elements and biological/ecological characteristics to provide solutions to technological problems. The technological scope of the analysis included the field of technologies and materials that apply to the conditions found in ecology, as well as robot machines and devices designed to mimic certain animals and ecological elements. The search for patents was conducted in Korea, the United States, Japan, and Europe from 1975 to 2021, resulting in a total of 8278 raw data cases, from which 940 valid patents were selected. The percentage of patent document and the status of both domestic and foreign applicants varied among the countries of Korea, the United States, Japan, and Europe. Based on the results of the patent analysis, it was found that biomimicry technology is in a growth phase that is expected to continue in the future and that Korea and the United States are leading the development of this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robotic systems for lower limb rehabilitation are essential for improving patients' physical conditions in lower limb rehabilitation and assisting patients with various locomotor dysfunctions. These robotic systems mainly integrate sensors, actuation, and control systems and combine features from bionics, robotics, control, medicine, and other interdisciplinary fields. Several lower limb robotic systems have been proposed in the patent literature; some are commercially available. This review is an in-depth study of the patents related to robotic rehabilitation systems for lower limbs from the point of view of the sensors and actuation systems used. The patents awarded and published between 2013 and 2023 were investigated, and the temporal distribution of these patents is presented. Our results were obtained by examining the analyzed information from the three public patent databases. The patents were selected so that there were no duplicates after several filters were used in this review. For each patent database, the patents were analyzed according to the category of sensors and the number of sensors used. Additionally, for the main categories of sensors, an analysis was conducted depending on the type of sensors used. Afterwards, the actuation solutions for robotic rehabilitation systems for upper limbs described in the patents were analyzed, highlighting the main trends in their use. The results are presented with a schematic approach so that any user can easily find patents that use a specific type of sensor or a particular type of actuation system, and the sensors or actuation systems recommended to be used in some instances are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A majority of scholars view the Hasmonean-Spartan correspondence, reported in 1 Maccabees, as inauthentic, since it contains many improbabilities, including the assertion that the Jews and the Spartans are fraternal nations. However, its patent implausibility also renders it unimaginable that the correspondence was intended to be understood literally. Hence, the binary choice offered in research, whereby it is either a bizarre fabrication or an authentic correspondence, despite all its peculiarities, is problematic. The Hasmonean-Spartan correspondence thus remains a conspicuous, unresolved enigma in the research of 1 Maccabees and the early Hasmonean period. Based on a textual clue, this article proposes a solution, namely, that the correspondence is, in fact, an ingenious derision of the Jews' authentic ethnic "brothers"—the Samaritans. This suggestion provides new insights into the history of the early Hasmoneans and the literary creativity of the author of 1 Maccabees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of these acoustical patent reviews is to provide enough information for a Journal reader to decide whether to seek more information from the patent itself. Any opinions expressed here are those of the reviewers as individuals and are not legal opinions. Patents are available via the internet at the USPTO website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is a problem for women's health globally. Early detection techniques come in a variety of forms ranging from local to systemic and from non-invasive to invasive. The treatment of cancer has always been challenging despite the availability of a wide range of therapeutics. This is either due to the variable behaviour and heterogeneity of the proliferating cells and/or the individual's response towards the treatment applied. However, advancements in cancer biology and scientific technology have changed the course of the cancer treatment approach. This current review briefly encompasses the diagnostics, the latest and most recent breakthrough strategies and challenges, and the limitations in fighting breast cancer, emphasising the development of breast cancer vaccines. It also includes the filed/granted patents referring to the same aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of the present study is to determine the life cycle and technology prediction based on patent bibliometric data using Markov hidden model. The study population included 50,915 patent licenses in medical equipment extracted from the US Patent and Trademark Office database from 1976 to 2015. The study findings revealed technology life cycle patterns in 21 medical equipment sub-areas. The status of medical device patent license indicators at different stages of the technology life cycle, alongside the likelihood of state transfer at different stages of the medical technology life cycle, were investigated. Ultimately, the results showed that "Drug delivery equipment, Disposable medical equipment, Oximeters, and Sharps (Medical instruments)" have more suitable areas for investment and commercialization. The current research results can also provide a good insight into technologies and can be used as a guide alongside experts and other decision-making methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main directions of application of flexible heat-insulating materials and the customary technologies for producing non-woven materials are considered. Different ways of fastening fibers are analyzed — chemical, thermal, and mechanical, which in turn include needle-punched, knitting-stitching, and hydro-jet methods, used in the production of flexible fibrous thermal insulation. Anumber of patents developing methods for obtaining non-woven materials are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issue of extending the legal protection of intellectual property rights for medicines. The research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the problems related to the implementation of Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) in national legislation and possible solutions. The study also seeks to draw conclusions and make proposals for improving the regulatory framework for the SPCs of medicines. The work utilizes general scientific and specialized methods of scientific cognition, including dialectical, formal-logical, systemicstructural, comparative legal, as well as modeling, analysis, and synthesis methods, which collectively contributed to the organization, planning, and conduct of the research. The study is based on scientific publications from databases and search systems (PubMed, JAMA, Scopus, Springer, BMC, Oxford Academic), international and national regulatory acts, statistical studies by international organizations (Precedence Research), patents for inventions related to medicines, recommendations by national government bodies, as well as prescriptions and guidelines from international and national experts. Considering the analysis of statistical data on the development and implementation of medicines, it has been determined that original biological medicines are a major factor in the rising prices of treating conditions such as diabetes, oncological diseases, and others. Examples of patents for medicines owned by global pharmaceutical companies (Gilead, Bayer Intellectual Property Gmbh, etc.) that have ensured their commercial success and competitive advantages are examined. It has been established that patent protection provides the right holder with the opportunity to maintain a monopoly in the market, thereby compensating for the time spent on the development and research of original medicinal products. Legislative approaches to regulating relationships concerning the supplementary protection of inventions related to medicines in the form of SPCs in Ukraine and the EU are identified. The exclusivity periods for regulatory data protection for medicines in the EU are outlined. Based on the conducted research, it is concluded that the application of the SPC mechanism is a tool to achieve a balance between the protection of intellectual property rights and access to original medicines. Timely entry of generics and biosimilars to the market contributes to reducing market prices but negatively impacts the profitability of manufacturers of original medicines. Attention is drawn to problematic aspects of the legislative implementation of the SPC mechanism in Ukraine, which leads to incorrect interpretation and implementation of relevant provisions and necessitates updating. In light of the aforementioned, there is an urgent need in Ukraine to implement, update, and improve the legislative mechanism for regulating SPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromodiscography is an integral part of full-endoscopic discectomy (FED), comprising ordinary discography with radiopacity produced by contrast medium and intradiscal stain for visualizing annular defects in the endoscopic field. Nevertheless, concerns remain about the cytotoxicity of the stains used. The study of their staining efficacy is also lacking. To evaluate the feasibility of methylene blue, patent blue, and indigo carmine for intradiscal injection, investigate the effectiveness of each dye, and define critical concentration with adequate staining efficacy and tolerable cytotoxicity for use in chromodiscography during FED. An experimental in vitro study. Dye stock solutions were prepared from powder. The stock was diluted with culture medium or balanced saline and used for cytotoxicity or intervertebral disc staining assays, respectively. Bovine tails were obtained from the local slaughterhouse and functional spine units of intervertebral discs were acquired by transverse incision at the disc level. Each disc was punctured over the posterolateral aspect using a surgical knife to simulate an annular defect. The intradiscal injection was performed with each dye at different concentrations using a 22G needle from the contralateral aspect of the punctured site. Staining efficacy was quantified using ImageJ software. Primary cells of bovine tails were cultivated in each dye at different concentrations. Cytotoxicity was assessed 24 hours after stain exposure using the CCK-8 toxicity assay. Staining efficacy and cytotoxicity were proportional to the concentration of tested dyes. Lower limits of concentration producing significant staining efficacy of indigo carmine, methylene blue, and patent blue were 0.25 mg/mL, 0.25 mg/mL, and 0.05 mg/mL, respectively. Compared with controls, concentrations showing significant toxicity for indigo carmine, methylene blue, and patient blue were 1 mg/mL, 0.5 mg/mL, and 2.5 mg/mL, respectively. Patent blue can serve as a more suitable tissue stain than either indigo carmine or methylene blue due to the widest range of tradeoff concentration within 0.05 to 2.5 mg/mL. Patent blue with the characteristic of good staining efficacy and lower cytotoxicity may be a promising option for chromodiscography during FED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is one of its substantive functions that supports the generation of new knowledge. In order to establish the state of intellectual production in Colombian HEIs, an exploratory documentary research was carried out with a qualitative approach, taking information from the Sapiens 2021 rankings and the Industrial Property System of the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC). According to the research production, it is found that by 2021, the first five positions are occupied by the National University of Colombia-Bogotá, the University of Antioquia-Medellín, the Universidad of Valle-Cali, the Pontificia Javeriana University-Bogotá, and the Andes University-Bogotá. A growth of the indicators for technological products (new creations) is found in the period 2017-2021, although in 2021, the production of research groups is associated with the indicator of regulations, standards, and technical regulations, followed by the products of consultancy, and in third place the new creations. Among the 15 HEIs with the best results in technological development in 2021, it is found that between 1991 and 2021, they registered 472 new creations in the SIC, of which 267 patents have been granted, 62 of them related to agriculture. The largest number of records corresponds to the National University of Colombia-Bogotá and the HEIs with the highest number of patents are the National University of Colombia-Bogotá, EAFIT University-Medellín and the Pontificia Bolivarian University-Medellín. There is evidence of growth in technological production in Colombian HEIs and the protection of new creations through patents for new processes/techniques, at 50%, equipment, at 23%, and products, at 27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upward development of nanotechnology in the last 30 years, especially in the development of nanoparticles for applications in medicine, agriculture, energy, among others, it has substantially impacted the development of scientific articles and patents. This has stimulated the knowledge economy by improving university-industry integration, which benefits everyone in this area of research. The increasing development of patents leads us to analyze, within a period of 10 years, the emerging technologies in developing metallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. Additionally, the incidence that the production of patents has had on developing this technology in leading countries such as the United States, China, Australia, and India is shown. This article shows a scientometric analysis of the development of patents the metallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. Aspects such as patents by country, types of patents, inventors, applicants, and most developed technologies were evaluated. Scopus databases, Espacenet software, and different computer tools were used for the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the growth of scientific and technological activities worldwide, attempting to assess whether there are "convergence" or "divergence" scenarios in the international distribution of knowledge in science and technology between 1996 and 2018. It is within this framework that the cases of Brazil and Portugal are considered. We conclude that despite there is a decrease in the relative international divergence both for scientific publication and new technology production, absolute distance between countries has increased. In relation to Brazil and Portugal, although it appears that each country followed a distinct trajectory, both present a higher dynamic in the production of scientific knowledge comparatively to technological knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, renewable energy consumption has been at the centre stage of academic debate. Little is however known about the potential impact of the strength of patent systems (IPRs) and renewable consumption. This study addresses this issue using a GMM methodological framework for a panel of 47 developed and developing economies over the period 1998–2017. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study where two alternative indices that measure differences in strength of patent systems are employed to explore the underlying relationship whilst at the same time controlling for other potential determinants of renewable energy consumption. We find that protection of intellectual property rights across nearly all estimated models and country groups tends to have a negative impact on renewable energy consumption whilst a convex relationship is established when nonlinearities are explored. Finally, the global financial crisis is found to have a negative impact on renewable energy in both developed and developing economies. Further probing indicates that in a depressed economic environment the strength of IPRs might have a significant role to play in encouraging more renewable energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Technological development drives the optimization of therapeutics in ophthalmology, but quantifiable and systematic review of such innovation is lacking. To fill this gap, we characterize trends in ophthalmology-related patents in the United States from 2005 to 2020. Methods: Publicly available patent data from the US Patent and Trademark Office was analyzed with the R programming language. Ophthalmology-related patents were identified with a keyword search of their titles and claims text. Temporal trends were assessed with the Mann–Kendall trend test (α = 0.05, two-sided). Results: Of 4.5 million collected patents, some 21,000 (0.5%) were ophthalmology related. The number of annually granted ophthalmology patents increased over time (Mann–Kendall test: z = 4.91; P < 0.001), from 619 patents released in 2005 to 2,019 patents in 2020. Patent counts also increased over time for all ophthalmic subspecialties except oculoplastics, with steepest rises in retina (z = 4.91; P < 0.001) and cornea (z = 4.64; P < 0.001). The most cited patents were in biocompatible intraocular implants and implantable controlled-release drug delivery systems, which underscores particular advancement in therapeutic efficacy and safety in devices used in the treatment and management of common yet debilitating eye conditions. Conclusion: This exploratory analysis reveals hotspots for ophthalmology-related innovation in the United States that may predict current and future growth trends in device development and pharmacologic advancement in ophthalmology, paving the way for more diverse and effective treatment options for preserving vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing costs of drug development, repurposing of low‐cost medicines for new indications has never been more important. However, there are multiple barriers to repurposing, particularly for off‐patent medicines, and limited incentives for the pharmaceutical industry to sponsor registration and public subsidy listing. Here, we explore these barriers and their consequences and provide examples of successful repurposing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large organizations mold technological advance in countries and even more so in cities. External economies of scale and invention are closely linked, but the organizational strategies of individual firms cannot be overlooked in understanding the geography of patenting. Market structures and inventive intensity are properties of complex systems featuring endogenous multi-directional interactions. Oligopolistic firms are pivotal in many large inventive cities, especially outside Silicon Valley. The more these firms dominate technological advance the higher the patenting rate. Less inventive large cities are frequently reliant on individuals and employees of universities and federal agencies to procure grants. Some implications of organizational structure and granularity for urban policy are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines all patents associated with biologic litigation to understand how manufacturers use ancillary product patents to delay biosimilar market entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the frequency of drug patent invalidations based on inequitable conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultured meat (CM) has emerged as a breakthrough technology, which has the potential to minimise future negative impacts associated with the rapidly growing world population; such as serious environmental, sustainability, global public health, and animal welfare concerns. Recently numerous researchers in academia and companies have been putting significant efforts into scientific and translational development in this field. Since various pillars of CM manufacturing hold substantial translational potential, there has been a steady interest in filing patent applications globally in the past decade. For the first time, we have performed a patentometric analysis for cultured meat by highlighting the current patents landscape, determining prolific organisations and geographical locations active in the area, and identifying the overall outlook for the field. In total, > 190 patents published in the English language were collected from 1997 to 2020 for the analysis. Relevant data were extracted from the patents, including technology focus, country of origin, assignees, priority date, cooperative patent classification (CPC) code, to analyse the current patent landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This patent review encapsulates information that could be used as a reference by researchers in the fields of coatings and interfaces, biofabrication, tissue engineering, biomaterials, and biomedical engineering, as well as those especially interested in the formulation of hydrogel coatings. The state has been reviewed by introducing what has been innovated, invented, and patented in relation to hydrogel coatings. A detailed analysis of the patentability of hydrogel applications, such as the coating of medical devices to enhance their clinical performance, has been provided. During a search, 2937 patent documents were found. 2012 was the year with the most patent documents (177). Based on the patent classification, all patent documents and most inventions are intended for biomaterials for coating prostheses characterized by their function or physical properties, such as macromolecular materials, hydrogels, and biologically active materials. Additionally, research based on medicinal formulations with unique physical forms is concentrated in the majority of patents, according to knowledge clusters and expert driving factors. Finally, to demonstrate the innovation trends in hydrogel-based coatings, a selection of relevant patent applications and granted patents is proposed at the end of this paper, along with some examples of commercial products based on the patented technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the patent marketplace, patent trading recommendation is required to mitigate the technology searching cost of patent buyers. Current research focuses on the recommendation based on existing patents of a company; a few studies take into account the sequential pattern of patent acquisition activities and the possible diversity of a company's business interests. Moreover, the profiling of patents based on solely patent documents fails to capture the high-order information of patents. To bridge the gap, we propose a knowledge-aware attentional bidirectional long short-term memory network (KBiLSTM) method for patent trading recommendation. KBiLSTM uses knowledge graph embeddings to profile patents with rich patent information. It introduces bidirectional long short-term memory network (BiLSTM) to capture the sequential pattern in a company's historical records. In addition, to address a company's diverse technology interests, we design an attention mechanism to aggregate the company's historical patents given a candidate patent. Experimental results on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) data set show that KBiLSTM outperforms state-of-the-art baselines for patent trading recommendation in terms of F1 and normalised discounted cumulative gain (nDCG). The attention visualisation of randomly selected company intuitively demonstrates the recommendation effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do changes in patent law affect the exchange by which society awards an exclusive right of limited duration and the inventor discloses technology that others may freely use after the period of exclusivity? Between 1983-1985, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit shifted the law in favor of patent owners, to degrees varying geographically by judicial circuit. We find that the Federal Circuit was associated with an increase in the commercial value of patents by 11.7 percent, but no significant increase in the technological quality of the patented inventions followed. Apparently, the value of the patent monopoly increased substantially without a commensurate increase in inventors' contributions ofknowledge to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]