The Role of Patents in the Age of Covid-19

Our “IP in Business – Deacons Afternoon Tea Series” aims to discuss some of the practical IP issues encountered by our clients today. In this session, our Intellectual Property Partner Jeffrey McLean and Patent Agent (PRC) Jennifer Mo will discuss the role of patents in the age of Covid-19.

President Biden’s recent decision to support a proposed waiver for Covid-19 vaccine intellectual property rights (IPRs) has highlighted the issue of vaccine patents. But before we can decide what the proposed waiver of Covid-19 patents really means, we need to understand how patents work to protect vaccines. Modern vaccines are extremely complex formulations resulting from decades of research which can be protected by multiple types of IPRs and potentially licensed from multiple partners.

In this webinar we will look at:

• What is a vaccine – and the role of patents in vaccine development
• A brief comparison of the main Covid-19 vaccines
• How the Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine works via a review of its patents
• R&D in Hong Kong including the Innovation and Technology Fund and Enterprise Support Scheme
• Compulsory licensing of patents in Hong Kong
• Covid-19 patent waiver proposal – potential impact

Date: Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm (HKT)

Language: English

Format: Online

CPD point (Law Society): 1 CPD point (CPD accreditation subject to the Hong Kong Law Society’s approval) will be available upon successful completion of a brief assessment

Fee: Complimentary

Remark: This event is by invitation only

Our “Afternoon Tea Series” aims to discuss some of the practical IP issues encountered by our clients today. Each session will focus on sharing knowledge in a particular IP area. They are designed to be an interactive forum for those interested in a specific area of IP law to discuss strategies and share knowledge, helping us to understand your concerns and leading to a better partnership with our clients.