U.S. Universities Increasingly Suing Private Companies Over IP Rights

In a recent article, the National Law Journal discusses a trend in the U.S., whereby higher learning institutions such as universities are increasingly suing private companies over intellectual property rights such as patent and licensing rights. The following are some examples of such litigation currently before U.S. courts:

• the University of Rochester has sued Pfizer Inc. over the patent for the building blocks of the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex;
• Cornell University has sued Hewlett-Packard Corp. in regard to a technique for accelerating the processing speed of computers; and
• the University of Illinois has sued Fujitsu Ltd. over technology relating to flat panel displays.

There is no similar trend in Canada most likely due to the fact that the commercialization of research undertaken by organizations such as universities in Canada is a few years behind the U.S. It will be interesting to see if Canadian universities will follow their American counterparts in the coming years. To read the full article, visit: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1029689062222 Thinking of commercializing your organization's intellectual property? Contact Doug Deeth of DWW: ddeeth@dww.com