Robert Rehm Discusses Recent Patent Law Developments at North Carolina Central University

Raleigh, NC (October 7, 2011) - Robert Rehm, an Intellectual Property attorney with Smith Anderson, will deliver a presentation, entitled Recent Developments in Patent Law and their Impact on Biotechnology Research and Development, on Thursday, October 13 at the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), which is located on the campus of North Carolina Central University. Rehm’s presentation discusses several recent jurisprudential and statutory developments in U.S. patent law – most prominently among them, the America Invents Act (AIA) enacted less than a month ago – and explains how such developments likely will impact biotechnology research and development.

The AIA, widely regarded as the most significant change to the U.S. patent system in the last 60 years, implements a first-inventor-to-file standard for determining patent-related priority, eliminates interference proceedings, creates a post-grant review system to weed out bad patents and provide a more streamlined alternative to patent litigation, and helps the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office address the backlog of patent applications. It is anticipated that the AIA, which has broad support from industry leaders, academic institutions and independent inventors alike, will spur additional technology growth and innovation, especially in the academic sector and among start-ups, in the fields of biotechnology, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing.