Updates

Modernised Dutch Patents Act: From Rubber Stamp to Examination

A proposal for the modernisation of the Dutch Patent Act (Rijksoctrooiwet 1995) is currently under consideration by the Parliament. In this article, we briefly outline the most important implications for the Dutch life sciences sector and, in particular, for university spinouts.

Axon assists medical technology companies in structuring their collaborations with hospitals and universities. We draft and negotiate cooperation agreements that protect our clients’ IP while fostering innovation.

Axon supports pharmaceutical companies in licensing their products across Europe and beyond. We draft and negotiate licence agreements tailored to each market, helping clients maximise the value of their intellectual property.

Axon assisted a start-up developing a real-time diagnostic test to define pathogens food. We negotiated and drafted an agreement with a university to support the further development & validation of the technology.

A Nordic company owns a proprietary technology for producing legume-based meat alternatives. Axon drafted technology licensing agreements and developed an IP strategy covering patents and trade secrets, with practical checklists for implementation.

We have advised several clients, including Dutch Growth Funds, on the structuring and application of government funding and related public-private partnership schemes aimed at stimulating innovation in the life sciences and health sector. Our advice covers the design and structuring of funding schemes, including the formulation of eligibility criteria and subsidy conditions, the establishment of governance frameworks for public-private consortia, and the administrative and legal requirements for the disbursement of government-funded research and development grants.

Axon regularly advises spin-outs from academic institutions on a wide range of topics. We make sure that the spin-out’s license agreement includes commercially and legally viable terms and is attractive to investors. In addition, we advise on the corporate structure of the spin-out, balancing the interest of the founders, the academic institution and all other stakeholders.

Axon advised a Dutch joint venture, that is active within the agri-food and agricultural biotechnology sector, on the transfer of its assets to a German investment fund. The transferred assets involved patent rights, plant breeders’ rights, trade secrets and biological materials.

Axon advised a stock-listed biopharmaceutical company on antibody licensing and technology transfer agreements with two major US-based pharmaceutical companies. The deals involved the grant of commercial rights to the licensor's proprietary antibody platform technology.