The year may be drawing to a close, but the flow of
Intellectual Property (IP) news shows no sign of slowing down. This
month's stories all describe attempts to tackle some persisting
issues facing the primary classes of IP rights. That is, how to
lower the price of patented drugs, curtail the infringement of
trademarks and assess the copyrightability of works generated by
artificial intelligence (AI).
We investigate the prospects of each of these efforts and what
they might mean for the wider legal context.
Marching to the beat of a different drum
The high cost of patented medications is one of the most contentious, complex topics in the
pharmaceutical industry, with arguments, counter-arguments and
prices all seemingly refusing to budge. In the United States, the
Biden Administration has signaled its attempt to address this
impasse, announcing a policy this month that could ultimately work
out to be more of a Pandora's box than a panacea.
