BIO Urges U.S. Trade Representative to Preserve IP Protection Abroad

• Contact: Stephanie Fischer
• Phone: (202) 312-9263
• Email: sfischer@bio.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Monday, February 21, 2011) - The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) stresses the critical importance of protecting intellectual property abroad in comments recently filed with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on the 2011 Special 301 Review.

“Biotech companies rely heavily on the strength and scope of their patents to generate the significant investment necessarily to bring biotech therapies and other products to market,” stated BIO Vice President for Global Intellectual Property Policy Protection Lila Feisee.  “The importance of international intellectual property protection has increased as these companies seek to expand the markets for their products.”

While the biotechnology industry faces some of the same challenges with international intellectual property protection as other industries (such as counterfeiting, compulsory licensing, patent office inefficiencies and different judicial standards for enforcement), it also faces unique challenges such as the differing standards for the patentability of biotechnology inventions, genetic resource access and benefit regimes, and technology transfer issues.

In the comments, BIO recommends that the USTR:

• Elevate Thailand to a Priority Foreign Country;
• Keep Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Israel, Russia and Venezuela on the Priority Watch List;
• Elevate the Philippines to Priority Watch List status;
• Keep Brazil, Columbia, Egypt, Mexico and Peru on the Watch List;
• Continue monitoring Paraguay under Section 306;
• Observe developments in Japan, Taiwan, and the European Patent Office to ensure that U.S. intellectual property is properly protected.

BIO’s comments are available at http://bio.org/pdfs/BIO_2011_Special_301_Submission.pdf.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO-Europe Spring 2011
March 14-16, 2011
Milan, Italy

BIO Intellectual Property Counsels Committee Spring Conference and Committee Meeting
April 13-15, 2011
Seattle, WA

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
May 8-11, 2011
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

BIO International Convention
June 27-30, 2011
Washington, DC

2011 BIO Human Resources Conference
June 26-28, 2011
Washington, DC

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtech Now, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtech Now.

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