Maren Schmidt, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission to Speak at KC’s Event

May 19, 2015 - PRLog -- The Knowledge Group/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series, the leading producer of regulatory focused webcasts, has announced today that Maren Schmidt, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission, will speak at the Knowledge Congress’ webcast entitled: “Demystifying Reverse Payment Settlements in 2015 LIVE Webcast” This event is scheduled for June 3, 2015 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm (ET).

For further details, please visit:

http://theknowledgegroup.org/event_name/demystifying-reverse-payment-settlements-in-2015-live-webcast/

About Maren Schmidt

Maren Schmidt is an attorney in the FTC Bureau of Competition’s Health Care Division.  She investigates and litigates anticompetitive conduct cases in the pharmaceutical industry.  Prior to joining the FTC in 2012, Maren was in private practice, first at Howrey LLP and then at Covington & Burling LLP, where she specialized in antitrust litigation in the technology and pharmaceutical industries.  Maren earned her J.D. from William & Mary in 2006.

Event Synopsis:

Reverse Payment Settlements, also known as ‘pay-for-delay’ agreements, involve a patent holder paying a potential competitor to delay marketing their product in a challenge to the patent holder’s rights. Reverse payment patent settlements have evolved since US patents may be challenged in court by competitors, and declared invalid if found to be in violation of the strict patent laws. It is becoming increasingly common for some patent holders, particularly pharmaceutical companies, to pay competitors to extend their patent ‘exclusivity’. These settlements have been criticized as anti-competitive and contrary to the public interest since it may raise prices and reduce innovation. Recently, the Supreme Court decision in FTC v. Actavis, Inc. only led to further confusion regarding the contradictory policies of the patent and antitrust laws.

In a two hour, LIVE Webcast, a panel of skilled practitioners assembled by The Knowledge Group will discuss recent cases and help the audience in Demystifying Reverse Payment Settlements in 2015. The speakers will also offer the audience best compliance practices and risk mitigation techniques.

Some of the major topics that will be covered in this course are:

§  Reverse Payment Realities – An Overview

§  Reverse Payment Settlement Agreements

§  Hatch-Waxman Act

§  Patent Settlements for Antitrust Violations

§  Risks of Decreased Patent Value

§  Paragraph IV’ Certification

§  Rule-of-Reason Analysis

§  Antitrust Scrutiny Prevention and Risk Mitigation Strategies

§  Reverse Payment Realities Compliance Practices

§  Potential Penalties and Litigation

About The Knowledge Group, LLC/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series

The Knowledge Group  was established with the mission to produce unbiased, objective, and educational live webinars that examine industry trends and regulatory changes from a variety of different perspectives. The goal is to deliver a unique multilevel analysis of an important issue affecting business in a highly focused format. To contact or register to an event, please visit: http://theknowledgegroup.org