The Broad Use of Patent Flexibilities in the United States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36151/RPIID.2025.2.3.05Keywords:
flexibilities, patents, international exhaustion, government use, march-in rights, United States, Bolar exceptionAbstract
This article examines how the United States has implemented the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement—particularly those referred to as “patent flexibilities”—and highlights the extensive development of these measures. During the negotiations that led to the TRIPS Agreement, the United States advocated for limiting the flexibilities inherent in the treaty. Nonetheless, at the domestic level, selective mechanisms have been adopted—such as the doctrine of international exhaustion, exceptions, government use, and march-in rights for inventions financed with federal funds—that restrict the rights granted to patent holders, and injuctions. The analysis seeks to provide researchers, scholars, and policymakers with tools to implement similar mechanisms in their jurisdictions.
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