A safe harbor is a provision of a statute or a regulation that reduces or eliminates a party's liability under the law, on the condition that the party performed its actions in good faith. A recent decision by the Federal Circuit court has interpreted the scope of a safe harbor from patent infringement for companies pursuing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) product approval, including pharmaceutical drugs, protein drugs, many medical devices and food additives.

Stakeholders across the biotech industry have varied viewpoints about funding and industry trends, but all agree on two aspects -- the economic crisis will only have a marginal impact on the industry, and change is imminent across the board, from the approach to funding to strategic partnerships.

The quality of scientific research within the field of biotechnology often depends on the caliber and capability of the industry's labs and research facilities. Quality science and quality construction converge at Rudolph and Sletten, one of the state's leading builders of biotechnology facilities.

As the old saying goes, there is safety in numbers. When a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company hires Fish & Richardson, it is hiring a 130-year old law firm with almost 500 attorneys, including 80 who have Ph.D.s, 12 offices worldwide, the experience of a firm that files 5,400 patent applications annually and handles more patent litigation than any other law firm in the world, and the expertise that will keep a company's inventions and business interests safe and secure.

As the volume of global patent filings rises, patent offices around the world continue to face increasing patent administration demands. Currently, applicants for U.S. biotechnology and organic chemistry patents can expect an average of close to two years before a first action by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and a total average patent application pendency of close to three years. As part of an effort to address the challenges presented by such backlog, on Sept. 22, the USPTO announced the establishment of a one-year Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program between the USPTO and the European Patent Office (EPO), effective Sept. 29.

At a time when many commercial real estate sectors are slowing, the San Diego County life sciences market continues to grow with biotechnology and market research ranking among the region's top performing industry sectors.

Carlsbad-based Synteract was founded in 1995 by Ellen Morgan, the president and CEO of the company, who won the Athena Pinnacle award for the services industry this year and by Russ Holmes, the executive vice president.

Carlsbad-based Invitrogen Corp. (Nasdaq: IVGN) has filed a patent lawsuit against Oxford Biomedical Research Inc. and Vanderbilt University in the U.S. District Court in western Wisconsin.

Recent judicial action along with some changes in the patent office have begun to weaken the U.S. patent system, according to a panel of intellectual property experts hosted by Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear last week.

An awards luncheon Tuesday by Qualcomm Inc. highlighted the company’s growing interest in combining its wireless technology with the medical and life science fields.

San Diego Tech Coast Angels, a member of the largest angel network in the United States, announced that Tech Coast Angels and Life Science Angels have partnered to close a Series A financing for Amplyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Menlo Park-based drug development company focused on creating best-in-class small molecule drugs.

According to Alan Hammond, chief intellectual property counsel for San Diego biotech company Invitrogen (Nasdaq: IVGN), in the mid-1970s, roughly 20 percent of all market value was in intangible property, including assets like intellectual property. Today, that number is roughly 80 percent.

What lifestyle changes would you make today if you knew you had a predisposition for heart disease? Would you exercise more? Eliminate "double bacon," "double shot" and "extra cheese" from your eating and drinking lexicon? What about stress? Would you find ways to simplify things, to spend less time in the trenches and more time enjoying life with family and friends?

In mid-August, the employees of NuVasive (Nasdaq: NUVA) finished up moving into another new office site. The company was previously in La Jolla and Miramar, and most recently moved to a two-building site overlooking Sorrento Valley, with plans for a third building in the works.