Dr. Richard Chinn, a partner at Grüneberg and Myers, was quoted Monday in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN). In the article, Chinn comments on sovereign immunity against suit in federal courts.

Explaining that states are generally not subject to federal lawsuits, Chinn noted that a move by pharmaceutical company Allergan may raise a question as to whether a patent owned by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe would be subject to Inter Partes Review (IPR). IPR proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board at the USPTO have been noted for their effectiveness in questioning patent validity based on anticipation or obviousness. However, patents owned by state-owned universities have been found to be immune from the threat of an IPR. Allergan argues that the same should be true for patents owned by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, a theory that Chinn explains in the article.

Chinn's commentary in C&EN, a publication of the American Chemical Society, springs from his exceptional ability to delineate concepts in U.S. patent law for those less familiar with the field. The decades of experience that Chinn has had in prosecuting, litigating, and opining on patent matters inform his clear advice for clients.

Launched in September 2017, Grüneberg and Myers PLLC is a 100 percent female- and minority-owned international patent firm. With a broad and sophisticated practice, the firm provides a full range of patent support services, including patent prosecution, counseling, post-grant representation, and M&A due diligence to meet the growing and diverse needs of U.S.-based, European, and Asian companies, entrepreneurs, and inventors.