Human nature – cutting edge legal work looms for the drugs revolutionising healthcare

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As patents for pioneering biotech drugs near expiry, life sciences companies are hunting new and controversial products. Can law firms help clients win the race?

For those close to the biotech industry, the events of a 2006 clinical trial at Northwick Park Hospital in London are etched firmly in the memory. In what was later dubbed the ‘Elephant Man’ trial, six healthy young men suffered catastrophic multiple organ failures within hours of testing a biologic – a drug created by a biological process – intended to treat leukaemia and rheumatoid arthritis. The volunteers became critically ill, including the loss of fingers and toes, after the monoclonal antibody TGN1412 caused near-fatal side effects. The drug was immediately withdrawn from development and its German-based creator TeGenero filed for insolvency four months later.

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‘Inspired by common law’: EU damages Directive opens door for competition disputes but steers clear of class actions

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Monday (10 November) saw the EU Council of Ministers formally adopt the European Commission’s Directive on antitrust damages, a move to standardise multiple aspects of competition litigation across the EU and one which City competition lawyers believe will generate an uptick in potential cases.

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Smartphone wars: Slaughters, Cleary and Freshfields lead for Motorola and Apple in EU’s verdict to level playing field

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The latest instalment of the smartphone wars has seen Slaughter and May and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton face Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as the European Union takes steps to reduce the seemingly never-ending and costly trail of patent disputes, saying that Motorola Mobility broke EU law by trying to use its patents to block sales of Apple products in Germany. Continue reading “Smartphone wars: Slaughters, Cleary and Freshfields lead for Motorola and Apple in EU’s verdict to level playing field”

Ask no quarter – getting ringside at the epic smartphone battles

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As the increasingly aggressive global patent wars between smartphone and tablet manufacturers continue to rage on, Legal Business asks leading IP practices what would happen if the final bell rang tomorrow

In November 2013, while acting for Apple in one of its seemingly never-ending patent battles with Samsung, Morrison & Foerster’s trial lawyer Harold McElhinny made his closing argument to the jury, which said: ‘When I was young I used to watch television on televisions that were manufactured in the United States: Magnavox, Motorola, RCA. These were real companies. They were well known and they were famous. They were creators. They were inventors. They were like the Apple and Google today.

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New frontiers for Quinn Emanuel as US litigation leader sets up in Brussels

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Following a year of rapid international expansion that saw highly profitable litigation outfit Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan dominate the global litigation agenda with launches in jurisdictions such as Sydney and Hong Kong, the top 35 Global100 firm today (18 February) confirmed to Legal Business that it is to broaden out its capability with a launch in the heart of the European Union (EU), in Brussels.

The new office, its seventh in Europe, will focus on EU and member state competition litigation and investigations and will be managed by Nadine Herrmann, head of the firm’s European competition practice. Continue reading “New frontiers for Quinn Emanuel as US litigation leader sets up in Brussels”

Hefty fines: Cleary, Slaughters and CC advise on banks’ €1.7bn rate-rigging settlement

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A collection of some of Europe’s strongest antitrust practices have been advising some of the world’s largest global banks as they today (4 December) agreed fines with the European Commission for their participation in illegal cartels to rig interest rates.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Slaughter and May and Clifford Chance were among the law firms advising a total of eight international financial institutions – including the Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, and Citigroup – who have been fined a total of €1.7bn for their roles in the cartels.

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Getting proprietorial – the client view as the battle to secure IP rages on

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From smartphone patent wars to online piracy, companies have never been more focused on protecting their intellectual property. In this special report, Legal Business teamed up with Bristows to gauge client attitudes to IP

It’s been a truism of the business world that protecting your intellectual property (IP) is an important part of success since the first laws on copyright were inked in the early 18th century. IP has not suddenly emerged as a key to a company’s long-term prospects. But, undoubtedly, numerous forces have emerged in recent years that have driven companies to more carefully consider how they protect, enforce and monetise their IP. Whether talking about the world of ‘hard’ IP, ie patents, or the ‘soft’ areas – trade marks, copyright and designs – the IP landscape has never been so dynamic or high impact.

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Aviation: Further consolidation predicted as Aegean acquisition of Olympic approved

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Aviation lawyers expect further consolidation within the airline industry as Aegean Airlines was on Wednesday (9 October) given the all clear to buy troubled Olympic Air, led by White & Case and Baker & McKenzie.

The European Commission (EC) took the first-time step of reversing its earlier decision to block an acquisition attempt in 2011, approving the buyout from investment group Marfin. Continue reading “Aviation: Further consolidation predicted as Aegean acquisition of Olympic approved”