PROMOMED expert held a master class on intellectual property for young scientists

Maria Porokhnya, Director of Intellectual Property at PROMOMED, took part in the master class "Intellectual Property as a growth factor in the pharmaceutical industry." The training took place at Skoltech as part of the XIV All-Russian Congress of Councils of Young Scientists and Student Scientific Societies. During the meeting, Maria Porokhnya and Natalia Belenkaya, CEO of the n'RIS service, discussed the role of patent protection in pharmaceuticals, the balance of interests of society and copyright holders, as well as practical approaches to the protection and commercialization of developments.

The issue of the clash of the two positions opened the discussion. Some call the patent system a barrier to development. Others are convinced of the need for legal protection of intellectual property. Without this, investments in research and development would often not be possible. The PROMMED expert emphasized that the juxtaposition of innovations and generics in real practice is not always correct. Russian companies are simultaneously solving the tasks of providing the market with the necessary drugs and developing their own research areas. At the same time, the availability of compulsory licensing tools is a standard practice of legal regulation in many jurisdictions, and not an exceptional measure specific only to individual markets.

The key topic of the presentation was the correct interpretation of patent law.

Special attention was paid to practical strategies for protecting the results of intellectual activity. The main principle of choosing a protection mode is determined based on the model of use of the solution and the risks of disclosure. In particular, in some cases, patenting may not be the only way to protect.

"A simple rule: everything that is inside the walls of the factory is protected as a production secret. Everything that comes out and can be reengineered is patents," Maria Viktorovna emphasized.

Speaking about PROMOMED's approaches to intangible asset management, Maria Porokhnya noted the importance of diversifying protection tools: along with preparing patent applications for strong solutions, a know-how regime is applied and digital services are used to capture and deposit potentially valuable results at early stages of development and research.

Concluding the meeting, the participants emphasized the importance of education and training of specialists at the intersection of law and technology. Maria Porokhnya confirmed that PROMOMED's patent experts have a basic natural science education, and the Company is developing cooperation with universities and schools, including educational initiatives and early career guidance programs. According to her, courses on the basics of intellectual property law should become an important part of the training of future scientists and engineers.