(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, testified today at a public hearing on Genetic Diagnostic Testing at the US Patent and Trademark Office to introduce Librassay®, a market-based solution addressing genetic diagnostic patent licensing issues of concern to the panel. Through a patent licensing “supermarket” making essential patent rights available on a nonexclusive, nondiscriminatory basis, Librassay® will accelerate adoption and availability of genetic diagnostic tests leading to personalized medical solutions in service to the entire market.
“Exclusive licensing practices, market behavior and related legal cases cry out for the need to provide nonexclusive access to essential patents in the diagnostics field of use, and MPEG LA, through Librassay®, intends to answer that call,” Kristin Neuman, Executive Director, Librassay®, at MPEG LA, testified before the hearing.
Building on MPEG LA’s successful patent pool model, Neuman explained that Librassay® can help patent owners and users come together in an efficient fashion to hasten transactions that incentivize technology innovation and adoption by balancing reasonable access to intellectual property rights with a reasonable return on investment.
“The nonexclusive licensing platform provided by Librassay® will promote the availability of independent, second opinion genetic diagnostic testing by providing a wide variety of patent rights to any and all users in a single, easy, and cost-effective transaction,” said Neuman. “As more and more patents become available through Librassay®, the medical community will experience greater levels of genetic test availability because no entity will be able to license patents from Librassay® on an exclusive basis – the Librassay® patent rights will be available to all. Further, we expect the widespread, nonexclusive licensing opportunities available through Librassay® to drive down the cost of genetic diagnostic testing, as fewer patent owners continue to hold exclusive patent positions. And all of this can be attained while still providing a reasonable financial return to patent owners for their innovation in this very important field.”
Librassay® licensees will be able to shop the Librassay® website store for the patent rights they need to clear, develop and offer genetic diagnostic tests they produce. The Librassay® many-to-many licensing model will be particularly useful and valuable in connection with multiplex genetic testing, where patent rights belonging to many different owners may be needed to support a single multiplexed genetic test. More information on Librassay®, which launches later this year, can be found at: http://www.mpegla.com/main/pid/mds/default.aspx.
A transcript of Neuman’s testimony can be found at: http://www.mpegla.com/main/pid/mds/Documents/HearingTestimony02-16-12.pdf.
MPEG LA, LLC
MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses, enabling users to acquire worldwide patent rights necessary for a technology standard or platform from multiple patent owners in a single transaction as an alternative to negotiating individual licenses. Wherever an independently administered one-stop patent license would provide a convenient marketplace alternative to assist users with implementation of their technology choices, the licensing model pioneered and employed by MPEG LA may provide a solution. By balancing patent users’ interest in reasonable access with patent owners’ interest in reasonable return, MPEG LA creates the opportunity for adoption of new technologies and fuels innovation. MPEG LA’s initial licensing program for MPEG-2 digital video compression helped produce the most widely employed standard in consumer electronics history, and the MPEG LA® Licensing Model has become the template for addressing other technologies. Today MPEG LA manages licensing programs consisting of essential patents in 74 countries. For more information, please refer to http://www.mpegla.com.
Contacts
MPEG LA, LLC
Tom O’Reilly, 303-200-1710
Fax: 301-986-8575
toreilly@mpegla.com
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