“Medical Treatment Method” Pursuant to the Patent Act
1
“MEDICALTREATMENTMETHOD”PURSUANTTOTHEPATENTACT
ZhenWong*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,L.L.P.
Lawyers,PatentandTrademarkAgents
CentreCDPCapital
1001Square-Victoria–BlocE–8thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.(514)9876242–Fax(514)8457874
www.robic.ca–info@robic.com
In1970,inTennesseeEastmanv.CommissionerofPatents(1970),62C.P.R.
117,theCommissionerofPatentsestablishedthatamethodofmedical
treatmentwasnotincludedinthedefinitionofan”invention”asdefinedby
thePatentAct,and,consequently,wasnotpatentable.Untilrecently,this
decisionhadgenerallybeeninterpreted,bytheprofessionalsinthefield,as
excludingfromthedefinitionoftheword”invention”anymethodtotreat
eitherananimaloraperson.However,inthedecisionofRe:Application
GeneralHospitalCorporation,renderedbytheCommissionerofPatentsin
1996,theCommissionerhasbroughtcertainnuancesandprecisiontothe
definitionofamethodofmedicaltreatment.Inthisdecision,itwasstated
thatamethodofmedicaltreatmentisanymethodwhichaimsatcuringa
pathologicalcondition.Therefore,anymethodwhichwouldnotaimat
curing,alleviating,orpreventingadiseaseorrestoringhealthwouldnotbe
consideredbythePatentOfficeasamedicaltreatmentmethodinitsstrict
meaning.
TheCommissioneraddedthat,inordertodeterminethenatureofamethod,
onemustfirstdecidewhetherthemethodaimsattreatinganaturalcondition
ratherthanapathologicalone.Thus,inthisparticularcase,itwasestablished
thatpregnancyisanaturalbiologicalphenomenonandthatthereforea
contraceptivemethodwasexcludedfromthedefinitionofamedical
treatmentmethod,inasmuchascontraceptionaimsattreatinganatural
conditionasopposedtoapathologicalone.
Secondly,theprincipaluseofthemethodatissuemustbedetermined.In
otherwords,evenifthemethodatissuemaybeusedfortherapeuticends,
theprincipalobjectofthemethodmustbeestablishedbeforeconcluding
thatthemethodisinfactamethodofmedicaltreatment.Thus,inlightofthis
decision,itnowseemspossibletoobtainpatentprotectionforamethodof
©CIPS,1999.
*OfLEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.,amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentand
trademarkagents.PublishedintheSummer1999issue(Vol.3,No.3)issueofourNewsletter.
Publication068.022E.
2
treatingapersonorananimal,ifthismethoddoesnotaimprimarilyat
preventingorcuringapathologicalcondition.
Itisworthmentioningthatinothercountries,includingEngland,where
methodsofcontraceptionareconsideredtobepatentable,asimilar
definitionwasgiventomethodsofmedicaltreatment.Formoreinformation
onthistopic,pleasecontactZhenWongfromourfirm.
3
ROBIC,ungrouped’avocatsetd’agentsdebrevetsetdemarquesde
commercevouédepuis1892àlaprotectionetàlavalorisationdela
propriétéintellectuelledanstouslesdomaines:brevets,dessinsindustrielset
modèlesutilitaires;marquesdecommerce,marquesdecertificationet
appellationsd’origine;droitsd’auteur,propriétélittéraireetartistique,droits
voisinsetdel’artisteinterprète;informatique,logicielsetcircuitsintégrés;
biotechnologies,pharmaceutiquesetobtentionsvégétales;secretsde
commerce,know-howetconcurrence;licences,franchisesettransfertsde
technologies;commerceélectronique,distributionetdroitdesaffaires;
marquage,publicitéetétiquetage;poursuite,litigeetarbitrage;vérification
diligenteetaudit;etce,tantauCanadaqu’ailleursdanslemonde.La
maîtrisedesintangibles.ROBIC,agroupoflawyersandofpatentand
trademarkagentsdedicatedsince1892totheprotectionandthe
valorizationofallfieldsofintellectualproperty:patents,industrialdesignsand
utilitypatents;trademarks,certificationmarksandindicationsoforigin;
copyrightandentertainmentlaw,artistsandperformers,neighbouringrights;
computer,softwareandintegratedcircuits;biotechnologies,
pharmaceuticalsandplantbreeders;tradesecrets,know-how,competition
andanti-trust;licensing,franchisingandtechnologytransfers;e-commerce,
distributionandbusinesslaw;marketing,publicityandlabelling;prosecution
litigationandarbitration;duediligence;inCanadaandthroughouttheworld.
Ideaslivehere.
COPYRIGHTER
IDEASLIVEHERE
ILATOUTDEMÊMEFALLUL’INVENTER!
LAMAÎTRISEDESINTANGIBLES
LEGERROBICRICHARD
NOSFENÊTRESGRANDESOUVERTESSURLEMONDEDESAFFAIRES
PATENTER
R
ROBIC
ROBIC+DROIT+AFFAIRES+SCIENCES+ARTS
ROBIC++++
ROBIC+LAW+BUSINESS+SCIENCE+ART
THETRADEMARKERGROUP
TRADEMARKER
VOSIDÉESÀLAPORTÉEDUMONDE,DESAFFAIRESÀLAGRANDEURDELA
PLANÈTE
YOURBUSINESSISTHEWORLDOFIDEAS;OURBUSINESSBRINGSYOURIDEASTO
THEWORLD