Markwell Clarizio LLP

Litigating Patents in Canada Compared to the U.S.A.

Some commentators have said the Inter Partes Review process and various U.S. Supreme Court decisions have recently made enforcement of patent rights in the United States more challenging. As a result, some patentees have looked abroad to places like Europe (especially Germany) to enforce their patent rights. But what about Canada? Why should an American

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Federal Court Determines the Inventive Concept of an Improved Drug Formulation

In this Federal Court decision (per Pentney J.), the plaintiffs Allergan and AbbVie (“Allergan”) were successful in upholding the validity of their 691 Patent. The defendant (“Juno”) conceded that its proposed generic drug product would infringe the 691 Patent. The main issues before the Court were obviousness and sufficiency. Allergan v Juno, 2023 FC 1686

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Announcement of a new Canadian Drug Agency by the Government of Canada

On December 18, 2023, the Government of Canada announced the creation of the Canadian Drug Agency (“CDA”) built from CADTH in partnership with provinces and territories. The implementation of CDA is supported by an investment of $89.5 million over 5 years.   The creation of the CDA has been in the works for many years.

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Three Interesting Issues Raised in the NCS/Kobold Patent Action – Part III

Co-written with Dino Clarizio This is the third of a series of three posts discussing some of the issues addressed by the trial judge (McVeigh J.) in NCS v Kobold, 2023 FC 1486. The three issues we discuss are those that arise less frequently in patent cases. They are: Topic 1: Priority Date (Post #1)Topic

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Three Interesting Issues Raised in the NCS/Kobold Patent Action – Part II

Co-written with Dino Clarizio This is the second of a series of three posts discussing some of the issues addressed by the trial judge (McVeigh J.) in NCS v Kobold, 2023 FC 1486. The three issues we discuss are those that arise less frequently in patent cases. They are: Topic 1: Priority Dates (Post #1)Topic

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Three Interesting Issues Raised in the NCS/Kobold Patent Action – Part I

Co-written with Dino Clarizio In a complex patent infringement action involving five NCS patents and one Kobold patent relating to tools and sleeves used in oil well drilling, the Federal Court (per McVeigh J.) held that NCS’s patents were invalid and not infringed, and that Kobold’s patent was valid and infringed by NCS. As a

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FCA Reaffirms Strict Rules for Patent Lists Under the PMNOC Regulations

Federal Court of Appeal (Locke JA writing) holds that PMNOC Regulations do not allow a first person to amend an existing patent list to create a new patent linkage. Janssen Inc. v. Canada (Health) – Federal Court of Appeal (fca-caf.ca) Janssen Inc. v. Canada (Health) – Federal Court (fct-cf.gc.ca) This decision concerns the arcane timing

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Magnitude of Savings as a Factor on Bifurcation Motions

Federal Court (per McHaffie J.) dismisses motion to bifurcate a patent infringement action due to insufficient evidence. Bessette v. British Columbia – Federal Court (fct-cf.gc.ca) In Canada, the default process for patent infringement actions is that all issues are heard and decided together in a single trial. However, the Federal Court has a discretionary power

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Sandoz v. Janssen 2023 FCA 221: Threshold for Sound Prediction

The Federal Court of Appeal (Locke JA writing for the Court) recently confirmed the threshold for establishing a sound prediction of utility. Sandoz v Janssen 2023 FCA 221 Canadian patent law requires that, to prevent the filing of patent applications based on speculation, utility must be either demonstrated or the requirements for a sound prediction

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