Intellectual Property, Smart & Biggar updates
Canada
Contributed by Smart & BiggarFederal Court issues two interlocutory decisions in Section 8 pregabalin case
- Canada
- 02 December 2019
The Federal Court recently issued two decisions relating to Pharmascience's claim for Section 8 damages under the pre-amended Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations for its pregabalin product (Pfizer's Lyrica). In the first, the court granted motion for summary trial on the relevance of Pfizer's ex turpi causa defence; in the second, it overturned the prothonotary's order, which had denied Pfizer leave to amend a pleading.
Amgen not precluded from litigating same patent under amended PMNOC regulations
- Canada
- 25 November 2019
The Federal Court of Appeal recently dismissed Pfizer's appeal of its failed motion to dismiss Amgen's action regarding an infringing patent under Section 6 of the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) (PMNOC) Regulations. Pfizer had argued that Amgen's action ought to be dismissed as an abuse of process on the basis that Amgen had unsuccessfully litigated the same patent under the pre-amended PMNOC Regulations.
Update on biosimilars
- Canada
- 25 November 2019
Since June 2018 a number of biosimilar developments have taken place in Canada. For example, Amgen has sued BGP Pharma dba Mylan for patent infringement in respect of the pegfilgrastim biosimilar Fulphila, and Janssen succeeded in its patent infringement action against Hospira in respect of Hospira's biosimilar Inflectra.
New Patent Rules in force
- Canada
- 18 November 2019
Canada has now reached the end of its journey to implement the Patent Law Treaty, with new Patent Rules and associated amendments to the Patent Act recently coming into force. To help ease the transition, this article summarises the more significant changes to Canadian patent practice and procedure that are now in effect.
Supreme Court rules on Crown copyright
- Canada
- 11 November 2019
The Supreme Court recently issued a highly anticipated decision in which it found that Ontario holds the copyright in plans of survey published by the third-party operator of the province's electronic land registry system. This case was the Supreme Court's first opportunity to examine the scope and application of Crown copyright in the nearly 100 years since the enactment of the applicable provision under the Copyright Act.
