Patent authorities and courts in the United States, Europe, and Japan are redrawing the boundaries of the biotech patents that they will grant and enforce. This narrowing spans all aspects of biotechnology, from nucleic acids to antibodies. This panel will discuss, using actual case studies, how these practices are affecting the scope of biotech patenting. It will also suggest ways to avoid the application of these narrowing practices on specific claims and explore methods by which innovative companies can modify patent and other legal strategies to deal with these changes (such as through harmonizing patent and regulatory strategies). Finally, the panel will explore the effects of this claim narrowing on the biotech industry, considering impacts on research, commercialization, and licensing, across all sectors of the industry.

• Educate attorneys and business managers on the current state of biotech patenting in the major areas of the world so that they will be able to make informed decisions in advancing business objectives
• Provide an educated base for business leaders to consider what ought to be the practices in biotech patenting so that they can encourage appropriate changes
• Review how the U.S., European and Japanese patent offices and courts are addressing biotech patents today with a view toward global harmonization