AIPLA President’s blog: Angelina Jolie, breast cancer and Myriad

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

AIPLA President’s blog: Angelina Jolie, breast cancer and Myriad

The New York Times on Tuesday May 14 contained an op-ed by Angelina Jolie, the actress and director. In it she discloses that she has a family history of breast cancer and that she decided to have a double mastectomy before cancer developed. I have written about this as a patent issue in the past, talking about the Myriad case before the United States Supreme Court, but Ms Jolie’s op-ed puts a personal and familiar face to the problem of genetic issues and patent protection.

Unlock this content.

The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers.

To unlock this content:

Take a Free Trial or Login
more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Emma Green, partner at Bird & Bird, shares why the Iceland v Iceland dispute could prompt businesses and lawyers to think differently about brand enforcement
Attain IP, developed by two UK patent lawyers, will meet ‘forensic’ needs of patent attorneys by showing a verifiable reasoning chain, according to its co-founders
The High Court of Australia has allowed a fashion designer to retain her registered ‘Katie Perry’ trademark for clothing
Sim & San secured the win for Dr. Reddy’s, which will allow the pharma company to manufacture and export semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic
Lucas Amodio joins our ‘Five minutes with’ series to discuss artificial intelligence systems and patent law
The Americas research cycle has commenced, so don't miss the opportunity to submit your work
Practitioners have welcomed extended funding of the specialist police unit until 2029, while the UKIPO says it is exploring increased scale
Abion says integration with Baylos marks an important step in the company’s international expansion plans
Via Licensing Alliance continues its China push as another smartphone manufacturer joins patent pool as licensee
Law firm mergers have the potential to reshape IP teams, and partners who were at the coalface of previous tie-ups say early coordination and flexibility can make the difference
Gift this article