Insights

“3D Printing Innovation and Patent Protection During the Pandemic”

February 25, 2022
Med-Tech Innovation News

Associates Robert Jacobson and Kate Nuehring Su recently discussed key IP considerations for patenting 3D printed medical supplies and devices in an article for Med-Tech Innovation News. As innovators have sought to address the urgent challenges and supply shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic, their article also explains the pandemic’s potential to shape innovation over the next several years.

They write, “Patents are valuable tools that let manufacturers of 3D printed medical supplies and devices protect their innovations from being made, sold, or used by others.” To obtain this protection, manufactures must ensure the innovation must be at least novel and non-obvious, but also take into account the specific protection afforded by a patent. Robert and Kate note, “It is important to ensure that the patent protection is crafted such that the business model surrounding the innovation is also protected.”

However, one key consideration that is unique in the current landscape is the need to balance business interests with global health needs. “The patent system is intended to reward the effort put into innovation but asserting a patent on a necessary technology amid a global pandemic runs counter to the very purpose driving many inventors,” write Robert and Kate. They explain that the Open COVID Pledge was designed to balance these competing interests.

To read the full article and learn more about what the Open COVID Pledge may mean for 3D printing innovation, please visit Med-Tech Innovation News.

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