Federal Government to Hold Virtual Workshop on Life Sciences Innovation

The U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division (DOJ) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a virtual public workshop on Sept. 23 and 24 to discuss the importance of intellectual property rights and pro-competitive collaborations for life sciences companies, research institutions, and American consumers. 
 
“Now more than ever, it is essential that we consider the role of regulation and antitrust enforcement on incentives for innovation in key areas of discovery, such as biotechnology and the life sciences,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division Makan Delrahim. “We look forward to a robust discussion of the current legal climate and its impact on competitiveness, and are honored to collaborate with Director Iancu and his team at the PTO in hosting this event.”
 
The workshop will feature a fireside chat between Assistant Attorney General Delrahim and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Andrei Iancu. Former director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, will deliver a keynote address. The workshop will include panel discussions of how patents and copyrights incentivize and reward innovation in the life science sector and the USPTO’s guidance on patentability for life sciences inventions. In addition, panels will discuss how partnerships and collaboration can facilitate the development of complex biologics, and the role of antitrust enforcement and regulation in preserving competition and incentives for innovation among drug developers and their partners. Panelists include leading figures from industry, government agencies, prominent research labs, the non-profit sector, academia, and the broader legal and economic community. 
 
The workshop is free and open to the public, although registration is required, and will be webcast from approximately 1 p.m.–5 p.m. eastern time each day.  A recording of the workshop will be made available on DOJ and USPTO’s websites. Registration information, an agenda, instructions on accessing the webcast, and a list of speakers will be available in the near future on the USPTO and DOJ event webpages.