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1 January 2012PharmaMike Snodin and Michael Pears

A brave new world for supplementary protection certificates?

Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) are a unique form of intellectual property that came into existence in Europe in 1993. They provide an extended period of monopoly to patent holders who experience substantially reduced effective patent terms due to the need to obtain regulatory approval prior to selling their patented medicinal or plant protection products.

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