C5 (UK) will be
holding its 18th Forum on Biotech Patenting on March 17-18, 2010 in Munich,
Germany.  C5 faculty will provide
information and insights into:

• Strategies for
adapting your patent practice to EPO rule changes;
• The latest EPO
requirements for the patentability of biotechnological inventions;
• The practical
impact of major EPO and national court cases;
• Disclosure
requirements for gene patents — what is patenable?  From T1329/04 to Eli Lily vs. HGS;
• Second Medical
Use Claims:  How to draft your
claims in light of the Enlarged Board's Decision and national case law;
• The evolving
landscape for stem cell patentability in Europe; and
• Ground-breaking
decisions from U.S. courts and major U.S. policy and legislative initiatives.

In particular, C5
faculty will offer presentations on the following topics:

• Keynote
address:  The judicial view — Dr.
Klaus Grabinski, Judge at the German Federal Court of Justice;
• EPO examiner's
perspective on patenting biotechnological inventions;
• Panel
discussion:  Raising the bar —
Examining and debating EPO's new standards and rule changes;
• An overview of
the year's most important biotech cases and other landmark decisions;
• The Enlarged
Board's decision on second medical use claims and dosing regimens and its
relationship to national case law;
• The disclosure
requirements for gene patents: 
From T 1329/04 to T 18/09 (Eli Lilly v. HGS);
• New life breathed
into gene patenting debate;
• The current state
of play for biosimilars in Europe;
• Major case law
and policy developments in the U.S.;
• Patenting and
protecting treatment/diagnostic methods: 
Comparing and contrasting European and U.S. standards;
• Maximising patent
protection — Developments in SPCs with a critical review of recent case law;
• Patent strategies
for antibodies:  How to draft your
claim to meet heightened patentability requirements;
• Freedom to
operate — Strategies for the biotech practitioner;
• The evolving
landscape of stem cell patentability in Europe; and
• Developments in
patent litigation procedure and cross-jurisdictional litigation management
strategies.

A pre-conference
workshop, entitled "Drafting Successful Patent Applications for
Biotechnology Related Inventions," will be offered from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on
March 16, 2010.  During this
workshop, C5 faculty will walk attendees through the process of drafting claims
and specifications for increasingly complex biotechnology applications, and
provide attendees with the tools needed to draft strong applications that will
be well-positioned to withstand future challenges.

In addition, a
post-conference workshop, entitled "Managing Due Diligence: Scrutiny of
Your Patent Portfolio," will be offered from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm on March
19, 2010.  This workshop will focus
on the key areas attendees need to consider with regard to due diligence.

A complete brochure
for this conference, including an agenda, list of speakers, and registration
form can be requested here.

The registration
fee for the conference is £1399 ($2,241.69), for the conference and one workshop £1798
($2,897.21), for the conference and both workshops £2197
($3,540.14), and for one workshop alone £499 ($1,322.56).  Those interested in
registering for the conference can do so here.