Compulsory licences: Working in the public interest

This year marks a decade since product patents in the area of pharmaceuticals have been allowed in India. Generic pharma companies have finally accepted that such patents are here to stay. Pharma product patents are being opposed before the Indian Patent Office (IPO), are the subject of revocation actions before the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) and of compulsory licences (CLs), and are being litigated for infringement (more recently we have seen settlements out of court).