Patent Prosecution and Maintenance 14.1 REGENTS will diligently prosecute and maintain the United States and foreign patent applications and patents under REGENTS' PATENT RIGHTS, subject to LICENSEE’S reimbursement REGENTS’ out of pocket costs under Paragraph 14.3 below, and all patent applications and patents under REGENTS’ PATENT RIGHTS will be held in the name of REGENTS. REGENTS will have sole responsibility for retaining and instructing patent counsel, but continued use of such counsel at any point in the patent prosecution process subsequent to initial filing of a U.S. patent application covering the INVENTION shall be subject to the approval of LICENSEE. If LICENSEE rejects three of REGENTS’ choice of prosecution counsel, then REGENTS may select new prosecution counsel without LICENSEE’s consent. REGENTS shall promptly provide LICENSEE with copies of all relevant documentation so that LICENSEE may be currently informed and apprised of the continuing prosecution and LICENSEE agrees to keep this documentation confidential in accordance with Article 26. LICENSEE may comment upon such documentation, provided, however, that if LICENSEE has not commented upon such documentation in reasonable time for REGENTS to sufficiently consider LICENSEE’s comments prior to the deadline for filing a response with the relevant government patent office, REGENTS will be free to respond appropriately without consideration of LICENSEE's comments. LICENSEE and LICENSEE's patent counsel will have the right to consult with patent counsel chosen by REGENTS.
14.2 REGENTS will use reasonable efforts to prepare or amend any patent application to include claims reasonably requested by LICENSEE to protect the LICENSED PRODUCTS contemplated to be SOLD or to be practiced under this AGREEMENT.
14.3 Subject to Paragraphs 14.4 all past, present, and future costs for preparing, filing, prosecuting, and maintaining all United States and foreign patent applications, and patents under REGENTS’ PATENT RIGHTS will be borne by LICENSEE, so long as the licenses granted to LICENSEE herein are exclusive. Payments are due within thirty (30) days after receipt of invoice from REGENTS. If, however, REGENTS reduces the exclusive licenses granted herein to non-exclusive licenses pursuant to Paragraphs 7.3, 7.4, or 7.5 and REGENTS grants additional license(s), the costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting and maintaining such patent applications and patents will be divided equally among the licensed parties from the effective date of each subsequently granted license AGREEMENT.
14.4 LICENSEE's obligation to underwrite and to pay all domestic and foreign patent filing, prosecution, and maintenance costs will continue for so long as this AGREEMENT remains in effect, provided, however, that LICENSEE may terminate its obligations with respect to any given patent application or patent in any or all designated countries upon three (3) months’ written notice to REGENTS. REGENTS will use its best efforts to curtail patent costs when such a notice is received from LICENSEE. REGENTS may continue prosecution and/or maintenance of such applications or patents at its sole discretion and expense; provided, however, that LICENSEE will have no further right or licenses thereunder.
Prosecution and Maintenance of Patent Rights (a) Subject to commercially appropriate and reasonable efforts (subject to oversight by the Advisory Committee), Genetronics shall at its own expense and by counsel of its own choice, file, prosecute and maintain all patent applications and patents within the Genetronics Patent Rights and any inventions conceived of and reduced to practice solely by its employees and agents hereunder. Genetronics shall do everything commercially appropriate and reasonable (subject to oversight by the Advisory Committee), including without limitation filing all documents and paying all fees to the appropriate patent offices to maintain the patents and pending patent applications in effect. Genetronics agrees to promptly provide Ethicon with copies of all correspondence to and from the patent offices related to the pending patent applications within the Genetronics Patent Rights. Ethicon shall have the right to provide comments to Genetronics regarding the content of such correspondence, and to comment thereon. Genetronics shall consider all such comments offered by Ethicon; provided, that all final decisions with respect to such prosecution shall rest solely in the discretion of Genetronics. In the event that Genetronics desires to abandon any such patent application or patent within the Genetronics Patent Rights, or if Genetronics later declines to prosecute or maintain any such patent application or patent, Genetronics shall provide reasonable prior written notice to Ethicon of such intention and Ethicon shall have the right, but not the obligation at its own expense, to file, prosecute, and maintain such patent application or patent, which Genetronics shall assign to Ethicon and shall no longer be subject to the terms of this Agreement.
(b) The Advisory Committee shall determine which party shall be responsible for the filing, prosecution and maintenance of patent applications and patents within the Joint Patent Rights on a case by case basis, with the understanding that it is the parties' intent that Genetronics shall be initially responsible for the filing, prosecution and maintenance of patent applications and patents within the Joint Patent Rights related to the Drug Delivery System. In the event that a party responsible for the filing, prosecution and maintenance of any patent application or patent within the Joint Patent Rights desires to abandon such patent application or patent, or if such party later declines responsibility for such patent application or patent, such party shall provide reasonable prior written notice to the other party of its intention to abandon or decline responsibility, and the other party shall have the right, but not the obligation, to prepare, file, prosecute, and maintain any such patent application or patent within the Joint
Patent Filing Prosecution and Maintenance 7.1 Except as otherwise provided in this Article 7, the IC agrees to take responsibility for, but to consult with, the Licensee in the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of any and all patent applications or patents included in the Licensed Patent Rights and shall furnish copies of relevant patent-related documents to the Licensee.
7.2 Upon the IC’s written request, the Licensee shall assume the responsibility for the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of any and all patent applications or patents included in the Licensed Patent Rights and shall, on an ongoing basis, promptly furnish copies of all patent-related documents to the IC. In this event, the Licensee shall, subject to the prior approval of the IC, select registered patent attorneys or patent agents to provide these services on behalf of the Licensee and the IC. The IC shall provide appropriate powers of attorney and other documents necessary to undertake this action to the patent attorneys or patent agents providing these services. The Licensee and its attorneys or agents shall consult with the IC in all aspects of the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of patent applications and patents included within the Licensed Patent Rights and shall provide the IC sufficient opportunity to comment on any document that the Licensee intends to file or to cause to be filed with the relevant intellectual property or patent office.
7.3 At any time, the IC may provide the Licensee with written notice that the IC wishes to assume control of the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of any and all patent applications or patents included in the Licensed Patent Rights. If the IC elects to reassume these responsibilities, the Licensee agrees to cooperate fully with the IC, its attorneys, and agents in the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of any and all patent applications or patents included in the Licensed Patent Rights and to provide the IC with complete copies of any and all documents or other materials that the IC deems necessary to undertake such responsibilities. The Licensee shall be responsible for all costs associated with transferring patent prosecution responsibilities to an attorney or agent of the IC’s choice.
7.4 Each party shall promptly inform the other as to all matters that come to its attention that may affect the preparation, filing, prosecution, or maintenance of the Licensed Patent Rights and permit each other to provide comments and suggestions with respect to the preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of the Licensed Patent Rights, which comments and suggestions shall be considered by the other party.
Prosecution and Maintenance of Patents (a) Arbutus shall have the sole right and responsibility, in its sole discretion and at its sole cost and expense, to file, prosecute, maintain or abandon patent protection in the Territory for Arbutus Patents, post-grant review and similar proceedings. Arbutus shall notify Gritstone of all material developments and all significant actions to be taken in connection with prosecuting and maintaining the Arbutus Patents that Cover any Product and provide Gritstone with copies of all material filings or responses to be made to the patent authorities with respect to such Arbutus Patents and all other material submissions and correspondence with any patent authorities regarding such Arbutus Patents in sufficient time to allow for review and comment by Gritstone. Gritstone shall offer its comments or proposals, if any, promptly, and Arbutus shall not unreasonably reject any such comments and proposals.
(b) Gritstone shall have the sole right and responsibility, in its sole discretion and at its sole cost and expense, to file, prosecute, maintain or abandon patent protection in the Territory for any Patent that is part of the Gritstone IP, or Product IP, including patent term extensions and defending opposition, re-examination, post-grant review and similar proceedings.
(c) Subject to Section 6.2(d), [***], by counsel it selects to whom [***] has no reasonable objection, in consultation with [***], shall be responsible for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of the Patents Covering Joint IP in the countries selected by [***] in consultation with [***]. [***] shall provide [***] with access to all substantive documentation, filings and communications to or from the respective patent offices in the Territory with respect to the Joint Patents at reasonable times and on reasonable notice of at least [***] Business Days. [***] shall confer with and keep [***] reasonably informed regarding the status of such activities.
(d) In the event that [***] desires to abandon, withdraw or otherwise discontinue the maintenance or prosecution of the Joint Patents in the Territory, [***] shall provide reasonable prior written notice to [***] of such intention (which notice shall, in any event, be given no later than [***] days prior to the next deadline for any action that may be taken with respect to such Patents with the applicable patent office) and [***] shall have the right, but not the obligation, to assume, at its expense, responsibility for the prosecution and maintenance thereof.
(e) Except as provided in Section 6.2(d), all out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of any Patent that Covers Joint IP in the Territory shall be shared equally by the Parties.
(f) Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Arbutus shall not file a patent application that includes any Gritstone IP or Gritstone Sole IP and (ii) Gritstone shall not file a patent application that includes any Arbutus Background IP, Arbutus Improvement IP or Arbutus Sole IP, in each case without the other Party’s prior written consent.
Prosecution and Maintenance Each party retains the sole right to protect at its sole discretion the Intellectual Property and Technology owned by such party, including, without limitation, deciding whether to file and prosecute applications to register patents, copyrights and mask work rights included in such Intellectual Property, whether to abandon prosecution of such applications, and whether to discontinue payment of any maintenance or renewal fees with respect to any patents included in such Intellectual Property.