Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Law
Genetic Technologies: Patent Protections & The Case For Technology Transfer, Smitha Gundavajhala
Genetic Technologies: Patent Protections & The Case For Technology Transfer, Smitha Gundavajhala
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Genetic technologies range in scope from agricultural to medical applications. Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies like Moderna developed and patented genetic technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, like the mRNA vaccine. However, patent protection provides these companies with a monopoly that ultimately limits domestic production of generic versions, thus limiting access to life-saving diagnostics and therapeutics. When a company located in one country files a patent for recognition in another country, it effectively places a hold on production of any technologies covered by that patent’s reach, whether that patent is enforced or not. However, the TRIPS Agreement, the …
“Tiktok Told Me I Have Adhd”: Regulatory Outlook For The Telehealth Revolution, Kaitlin Campanini
“Tiktok Told Me I Have Adhd”: Regulatory Outlook For The Telehealth Revolution, Kaitlin Campanini
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Telehealth’s expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the approach to healthcare in the United States. This is particularly true in the behavioral health sector where several behavioral telehealth companies have emerged to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD”). These companies utilize a direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) model with a virtual platform that connects subscribing patients to medical providers who can treat them for ADHD. Although this telemedicine model emphasizes convenience and efficiency, the reality is that those benefits come at the cost of patient care. The federal regulations promulgated in the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 to curtail …
Animal Healthcare Robots: The Case For Privacy Regulation, Sulaf Al-Saif
Animal Healthcare Robots: The Case For Privacy Regulation, Sulaf Al-Saif
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Animal healthcare robots are a form of healthcare or wellness devices that possess the appearance of animals or pets and that collect data on the user. The appearance, use, and nature of data collected by these robots illustrate two types of devices for which privacy regulation falls short: Internet of Things (“IoT”) devices and healthcare devices. This paper surveys the animal healthcare robots currently in the market, details the special privacy concerns associated with such robots, examines the current state of potentially relevant privacy laws, and makes recommendations for privacy regulation in the future.
Science And Privacy: Data Protection Laws And Their Impact On Research, Mike Hintze
Science And Privacy: Data Protection Laws And Their Impact On Research, Mike Hintze
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
While privacy laws differ in their scope, focus, and approach, they all involve restrictions on the collection, use, sharing, or retention of information about people. In general, privacy laws reflect a societal consensus that privacy violations can lead to a wide range of financial, reputational, dignitary, and other harms, and that excessive collection and harmful uses of personal information should therefore be constrained. These laws require organizations to comply with a number of obligations concerning personal information. In practice, these requirements can lead organizations to refrain from collecting certain data, only use data with the consent of the individual, or …
Bio-Property Contracts In A New Ecosystem: Genetic Resources Access And Benefit Sharing, Mariko Kageyama
Bio-Property Contracts In A New Ecosystem: Genetic Resources Access And Benefit Sharing, Mariko Kageyama
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity presents a relatively new international legal framework. Although the United States is not currently bound by this legal instrument, its impact may be felt in the life sciences innovation sector and beyond. Transnational implementation mechanisms for the Nagoya Protocol have a combination of property law and contract law as their theoretical underpinning. Stakeholders who are entering into an agreement with their foreign counterparts should honor the Access and Benefit-Sharing scheme as well as domestic …
Pacific Nortwest Perspective: The Impact Of The America Invents Act On Nonprofit Global Health Organizations, John Morgan, Veronica Sandoval
Pacific Nortwest Perspective: The Impact Of The America Invents Act On Nonprofit Global Health Organizations, John Morgan, Veronica Sandoval
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA) makes fundamental changes to the legislative landscape governing patent law in the United States and will bring about corresponding changes in the manner in which inventors and attorneys address patent issues. While the law is newly implemented, inventors in all sectors of the economy are eager to formulate reactions to it. In this Article, we explore the effects of the AIA on nonprofit research organizations dedicated to global health and life sciences. We report the perspectives of counsel representing such organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest. We also consider the patent system, and …
Repairing The Antibiotic Pipeline: Can The Gain Act Do It?, Caitlin Forsyth
Repairing The Antibiotic Pipeline: Can The Gain Act Do It?, Caitlin Forsyth
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Antibiotic resistance, according to the World Health Organization, is one of the greatest threats to public health. To combat the problem, new antibiotics need to be developed. However, antibiotic research and development is fraught with scientific and economic problems. Recognizing these problems and the public health threat posed by antibiotic resistance, Congress passed the GAIN Act, which President Obama signed into law in June 2012. The GAIN Act (Act) incentivizes pharmaceutical companies to invest in antibiotic research and development. This Article will outline the incentives in the Act and suggest why the Act may not solve the growing antibiotic resistance …
Medical Advances, Criminal Disadvantages: The Tension Between Contemporary Antiretroviral Therapy And Criminal Hiv Exposure Laws In The Workplace, Chelsey Heindel
Medical Advances, Criminal Disadvantages: The Tension Between Contemporary Antiretroviral Therapy And Criminal Hiv Exposure Laws In The Workplace, Chelsey Heindel
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
In 1988, the Washington Legislature classified intentionally exposing individuals to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as criminal assault in the first degree. Lawmakers intended to penalize infected individuals without conditioning criminal liability on actual HIV transmission. Since 1988, however, medical technologies and effective HIV treatment have rapidly advanced. Recent studies indicate that effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce HIV transmission risks to a virtual impossibility during moments of intentional exposure. Despite these medical advances, the 1988 exposure law remains unchanged. Consequently, individuals undergoing effective ART risk felony liability within the course of commonplace work conduct by intentionally exposing others to …
Personalized Medicine, Genetic Exceptionalism, And The Rule Of Law: An Analysis Of The Prevailing Justification For Invalidating Brca1/2 Patents In Association Of Molecular Pathology V. Uspto, Kristen L. Burge
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
As medicine advances toward a more personalized model, the significance of genetic information is growing exponentially. While unlocking the genetic code has advanced the state of medicine, it has also reinvigorated the debate over the boundaries of patentable subject matter. The potential clash between having access to state-of-the-art medicine and protecting intellectual property investments came to a head in the case, Association of Molecular Pathology v. USPTO (“Myriad”). This Article analyzes the legal opinion rendered by the district court through the unique lens of genetic exceptionalism—a concept previously reserved to social science and public policy. Then, this Article …
Electronic Health Records: Interoperability Challenges Patients' Right To Privacy, Laura Dunlop
Electronic Health Records: Interoperability Challenges Patients' Right To Privacy, Laura Dunlop
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
President George W. Bush's administration has outlined initial necessary steps to transform the healthcare delivery system through adoption of interoperable electronic health records ("EHRs") by the year 2014. This Article examines the nation's shift toward the use of EHR technology, which largely facilitates patient care by providing clinicians with the ability to review a more complete medical record at the time of treatment. Current legislation calls for financial support and technical standards. However, lawmakers neglect to fully address the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") and the need to expand its application and enforcement. In addition, healthcare provider Anti-Kickback …