Medical Device & Healthcare

Medical Device

Medical device patents can cover innovations related to medical devices themselves, the processes for making and/or using medical devices, and larger systems utilizing medical devices. Patent protection of such innovations is sought in the United States and in other countries for numerous reasons. For example, development and management of a quality patent portfolio is important for medical device companies to create barriers to entry for competitors, to deter costly patent litigation, to reduce royalty payments to competitors, to attract investors and obtain funding, and to provide a revenue stream for the company through monetization.

Given their importance, it is critical for medical device companies to obtain quality medical device patents. A quality medical device patent should be drafted and prosecuted with litigation in mind to avoid potential pitfalls. Since the patent laws with respect to medical devices vary from country to country, the drafting and prosecuting patent attorney should be familiar with the laws of the various international jurisdictions where patent protection is sought. And most importantly, the patent attorney should have significant experience in a variety of technological areas reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of most medical device patents.

We work closely with our clients to protect their medical device innovations worldwide. Our extensive experience in numerous technological areas is utilized to draft and prosecute medical device patent applications with an eye toward litigation, taking into account jurisdiction-specific nuances where appropriate. We also provide patent portfolio management, monetization, and opinion services related to medical device patents.

Healthcare

An increasing number of businesses operating in the healthcare industry are pursuing healthcare patents covering systems and processes for delivering healthcare and health-related information in the United States and other countries. As an example, patent protection is increasingly sought for innovations surrounding the use of portable electronic devices in the delivery of healthcare. Healthcare patents can also cover systems, products, and processes used by healthcare providers such as electronic medical records (EMRs), electronic health records (EHRs), practice management software and systems, software and systems used by hospitals, software and systems used by doctors, software and systems used by nurses, and the like.

Patent protection for innovations related to healthcare is commonly sought for many of the same reasons listed above with respect to medical devices. Businesses operating in the healthcare industry find value in developing and maintaining a patent portfolio that includes quality healthcare patents.

Similar to medical device patents, there are legal differences among countries that must be taken into account to obtain healthcare patents across the world. We leverage our extensive experience to assist clients with healthcare patent matters in the United States and other countries.