patent law Archives

Jun 17, 2021

Dr. Judy de León Jarecki-Black Joins SGR IP Dept. to Lead Biotech/Chemistry Patent Team

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Dr. Judy de León Jarecki-Black has joined the firm’s Intellectual Property (IP) Department, to lead the firm’s significant and growing Biotech/Chemistry Patent Team. Dr. Jarecki-Black is a seasoned and accomplished patent and IP attorney, with more than twenty years of experience, including in both private and corporate practice. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Jarecki-Black was the Global Head of IP for Merial Limited (now Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health), a leading global animal health biotech and pharmaceutical company, for 18 years. While at Merial, Dr. Jarecki-Black was responsible for developing and implementing… Read more

Apr 11, 2019

Federal Circuit Declines to Give Deference to the USPTO

More patents directed to diagnostic methods were found to be invalid as directed to the ineligible subject matter in Cleveland Clinic Foundation v. True Health Diagnostics, LLC, Case No. 2018-1218 (Fed. Cir. April 1, 2018). The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit applied the “Alice two-step” test and found the claims in U.S. Patent Nos. 9,575,065 and 9,581,597 invalid under § 101. This holding may come as a surprise to some because Cleveland Clinic argued, among other things, that the claims at issue mirrored Example 29-Claim 1 in the USPTO guidance published on May 4, 2016 (“referred to as… Read more

Oct 10, 2018

HP Petitions Supreme Court on Patent Eligibility: An Issue of Law or Fact?

HP, Inc. has filed with the Supreme Court its long-awaited petition in the highly publicized HP v. Berkheimer patent case, seeking certiorari review on the issue of whether patent eligibility analysis under Alice/Mayo is an issue of law to be decided by the Court, or an issue of fact, as was held by the Federal Circuit in the case below. If the Federal Circuit’s opinion stands, then the question of patent eligibility will likely become more difficult (than under previous case law) to adjudicate on a motion to dismiss or even on a motion for summary judgment. In the underlying… Read more

Mar 8, 2018

Dr. Madhavi Sriram Joins SGR’s IP Department as Patent Science Advisor

SGR is pleased to announce that Dr. Madhavi Sriram recently joined the firm’s Intellectual Property (IP) Department as a Patent Science Advisor. Working with the firm’s patent attorneys, Dr. Sriram will assist the firm’s clients with respect to patent application preparation and filing, and other patent-related matters. Dr. Sriram has a Ph.D. in Chemistry, a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences, as well as extensive research experience. She assists SGR’s patent attorneys with preparing and pursuing patent applications at the US Patent and Trademark Office, as well as foreign patent offices, in a wide variety of chemical, life sciences and medical technology fields. Before… Read more

Nov 6, 2017

U.S. News – Best Lawyers Recognizes SGR’s IP Practices Among Best in the US, Both Nationally and Regionally

Various intellectual property (IP) practice groups of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) have once again been named among the best IP practices at law firms in the United States for 2018, both nationally and regionally, by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®. Specifically, SGR’s Patent Law, Trademark Law, Biotechnology Law, and IP Litigation practices were ranked among the top tiers on the national level, while SGR’s IP Litigation, Patent Law, and Trademark Law practices were ranked in the top tier for Atlanta, and SGR’s Biotechnology Law practice was ranked among the top tiers for Washington, DC. The rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that… Read more