Pharmaceutical Patents in Europe

Assuming a basic understanding of patent law, this practitioner's text focuses on the pharmaceutical patent situation in Europe by detailed analysis of case law from the European Patent Office. Aspects of European patent law are examined in light of EU law and domestic laws of member states.

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The pharmaceutical industry and patent legislation are inextricably linked. Pharmaceutical companies could not exist without some guarantee that they can recoup the cost of developing a new product. European patent law offers this opportunity, as it allows companies to exclude competition for a specific product for a fixed time scale. In Pharmaceutical Patents in Europe the current legal patent situation is examined by a detailed analysis of case law from the European Patent Office (EPO), the international body created with the signing of the European Patent Convention (EPC). Aspects of European patent law not primarily regulated in the EPC, for example Supplementary Protection Certificates and infringement matters, are examined in the setting provided by EC law and domestic laws of European states. This book is written for the reader who understands the main characteristics of patent law and is looking for a practitioner's text on the European pharmaceutical patent law scene. Moreover, the author's remarks can help all readers to look at the field with fresh eyes.