Michael Ward, chair of MoFo’s Patent Practice Group and co-chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group, was recently featured in Law360’s Q&A series. In the interview, Mr. Ward discussed his experience preparing and prosecuting international life science patent applications, including the most challenging matter on which he has worked: an arbitration related to infringement of a lettuce plant variety certificate. He also shared lessons he learned early in his career and highlighted important issues in intellectual property and patent law, including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bowman v. Monsanto, which held that the doctrine of patent exhaustion does not apply to patented seeds. He discussed the need for better clarity about the scope of protection provided by plant variety certificates in the United States and plant breeders’ rights outside the United States.
To read the full interview, click here.