In-house roundup: SPC waiver backed by some innovators; car companies want design patents for AVs; counsel and academic reactions to AI inventorship

In part one of Patent Strategy’s survey, 30 pharmaceutical in-house counsel commented on the timeframe, challenges and opportunities surrounding the SPC waiver, with almost a third of innovator lawyers saying they supported or were at least not against the regulation. Read more... 

Counsel at car companies and their suppliers say the focus on autonomous vehicles and recent successes asserting shape protections in the US courts have elevated the importance of design patents in the automotive sector. Read more... 

In-house counsel and academics butt heads on the ethical and legal questions raised by the University of Surrey’s research on whether patent applications should or could name an artificial intelligence as an inventor. Read more...