A federal court struck down new patent rules that had several drugmakers up in arms, including GlaxoSmithKline, which sued the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office alleging that it didn't have the authority to make substantive changes in the rules. The PTO would have limited patent continuations, a move that drug makers felt would restrict their ability to get protection for their discoveries. In its lawsuit, Glaxo alleged that the rules would hinder 100 of its pending patent apps.
- read GSK's release
- see the story in the Canadian Press