Evergreening Strategy: Extending Patent Protection, Innovation or Obstruction?
“Evergreening” in the context of intellectual property (IP), especially in the field of patents, refers to a strategy that companies often use to prolong their commercial exclusivity. This strategy is particularly common in the pharmaceutical industry, where companies secure patents for minor modifications, improvements, or new applications of existing products. Often, these patents are based not on entirely new technical solutions but rather on minor changes to previously protected products or processes. The purpose of these modifications is to extend patent exclusivity without the necessity to create a completely new product....
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