The unintended consequences of IPR

16-06-2015

The unintended consequences of IPR

EVERETT HISTORICAL / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Nearly three years after the introduction of the inter partes review, LSIPR explores its impact on the life sciences sector and asks whether it is creating a culture of ‘reverse trolling’.

Sometimes, a good tool can find itself in the wrong hands.

In September 2012, the America Invents Act (AIA) introduced the inter partes review (IPR), a quicker, more cost-effective way of challenging patents on the basis of prior art consisting of patents or printed publications.

The AIA patent reform was squarely aimed at curbing the activities of non-practising entities (NPEs), also known as ‘patent trolls’, which had made life unpredictable for innovators in the tech industry.


inter-partes review, AIA, NPEs, IPR, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, patent troll,

LSIPR