Research Presentations (session 4 of 5) - Nomura, Raveendran, and Watanabe

The format of this presentation is each of the three speakers will have approximately 15 minutes to present their research.  This will be followed by a short period of 5-10 minutes for any questions or comments from the audience.

In this session of the Corporate Affiliates Research Presentations, the following will be presented:

Kazushi Nomura, Japan Patent Office, "Does the Supreme Court Decision Regarding Patent Eligibility Stifle Innovation in Artificial Intelligence?"

In the United States, the standard of patent eligibility of software-related inventions has been significantly raised and complicated since a Supreme Court decision (Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank) in 2014 that has sparked considerable discussion in the patent community.  According to the report published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2017, companies in the computer-related industry are divided in their view on the Supreme Court decision.  Some companies that had suffered from a large number of patent lawsuits, mainly from Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), welcome the decision because it protects against abusive patent litigation.  Other companies, however, oppose the decision, insisting that it hurts the value of patents and innovation.  One leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) company has argued that the decision is curtailing innovation in cutting edge areas of information technology such as artificial intelligence.  Why does this company insist that the Supreme Court decision stifles research on AI technology?  In his research, Nomura tries to reveal the background by analyzing patent data.

Ramya Raveendran, Reliance Life Sciences, "Regulatory Requirements for Registration of Biosimilar Products"

Biosimilars are blockbuster drugs in the sense that they are affordable copies of the expensive original biologic drug, providing much needed affordable quality healthcare.  A number of top selling biologic brands in key therapeutic areas are due to lose product patent protection over the next few years, opening a wealth of opportunities for biosimilar players.  Biosimilar product development for launch in multiple geographic locations with various regulatory expectations would require a clear and concise understanding of the regulatory framework of each region.  In her research, Raveendran's primary goal is to understand the regulatory requirements for registration of biosimilar products in various global markets and to also compare and contrast the regulatory requirements of these regions.

Toshiyuki Watanabe, The Asahi Shimbun, "The Stanford Process:  Key Factors and Successful Implementation of Entrepreneurship Education"

Stanford University continues its role as a farm of Silicon Valley as many successful start-ups have their beginnings here.  How does Stanford teach entrepreneurship?  Through auditing classes and utilizing other resources, Watanabe has observed and experienced some of the education system of entrepreneurship at Stanford.  In his presentation, he shares his insights on key factors of the "idea fo start-up" process.  He also proposes how his own company, The Asahi Shimbun, should implement these key factors in their innovation process.