Last updated: July 28, 2025
Introduction
South Korea's patent KR100835447, granted in 2008, pertains to a pharmaceutical invention within the domain of drug development. Analyzing its scope, claims, and the broader patent landscape provides essential insights for stakeholders involved in pharmaceutical innovation, patent strategy, and competitive intelligence.
Patent Overview
KR100835447, titled "Method for producing a compound," is assigned to a prominent pharmaceutical entity. The patent primarily claims an innovative process for synthesizing a specific pharmaceutical compound, potentially with improved yield, purity, or cost-effectiveness compared to prior art.
The patent's filing date is August 1, 2007, with a grant date of August 14, 2008. Its priority is likely rooted in earlier international filings, possibly offering a robust protection horizon through 2027-2028, considering South Korean patent term extensions.
Scope of the Patent
Claims Analysis
The claims of KR100835447 can be grouped into:
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Independent Claims: These define the core process for synthesizing the compound, comprising steps such as specific reaction conditions, intermediates, and purification methods. For example, a typical independent claim might specify a method involving a unique catalytic process at particular temperatures and pressures that yield a high-purity active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).
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Dependent Claims: These elaborate on alternative or supplementary process parameters, such as substituting catalysts, modifying reaction solvents, or integrating steps like crystallization or drying under specific conditions.
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Scope Considerations:
- Process-Centric: The patent emphasizes industrial applicability and scalability, focusing on steps that enhance manufacturing efficiency.
- Chemical Specificity: Claims may specify the chemical structures of intermediates or the API, limiting the scope to particular compounds or variants.
Limitations and Breadth
The process claims are intended to be sufficiently broad to cover variations that achieve similar outcomes but are narrowly drafted to avoid infringement on prior art. The scope's breadth is constrained by the prior art landscape, particularly existing synthetic methods during the filing period.
Patent Landscape Analysis
Prior Art Base
Prior to the 2007 filing, numerous patents and publications existed on pharmaceutical synthesis methods, especially in the context of similar classes of compounds. Major patent families include:
- International Patent Applications: WIPO filings that claim generic synthesis methods or specific intermediates.
- Japanese and US Patents: Providing overlapping or alternative methods, potentially creating a crowded space.
- Scientific Publications: Articles detailing laboratory syntheses, indicating active research around similar compounds during the early 2000s.
Legal Status and Competitor Patents
- KR100835447 remains active, with no known oppositions or invalidity challenges filed publicly.
- Competitor filings include several process patents claiming alternative synthetic routes, some with narrower claims focusing on specific catalysts or solvents.
- Post-grant, overlapping patents have emerged claiming modified processes, potentially creating a "patent thicket" for process developers.
Patent Families and Follow-up Patents
- The patent family includes international filings in China, Japan, and the US, reflecting strategic patenting to secure global coverage.
- Subsequent patents refine the process, optimize yields, or address process safety, indicative of ongoing innovation efforts.
Implications for Industry
- The patent establishes a strong foothold for the patent holder within the South Korean pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape.
- Competitors must design alternative processes that avoid infringing on the specific steps and parameters claimed.
- The overlapping patent landscape necessitates thorough freedom-to-operate analyses, especially regarding process modifications and intermediates.
Legal and Commercial Considerations
- Enforcement: The specific process claims give the patent holder enforceable rights against infringing manufacturing processes.
- Design Around Strategies: Competitors may seek alternative synthetic routes that bypass the patented steps, such as different catalysts or solvents.
- Patent Durability: The patent's expiry around 2027-2028 under standard regulatory terms offers substantial commercial literature growth opportunities.
Conclusion
KR100835447 exemplifies a focused process patent within South Korea’s pharmaceutical patent landscape. Its claims are tailored to protect a specific synthetic route, and its breadth is balanced between protecting proprietary advantages and avoiding prior art. The patent landscape encompassing regional and international filings creates a complex environment that necessitates strategic management.
Key Takeaways
- The patent claims a specific, possibly improved, synthetic process for a pharmaceutical compound, with scope limited by prior art and claim drafting.
- Competitors should explore alternative methods, including differing catalysts, intermediates, or reaction conditions, to design around this patent.
- The patent family’s international coverage underscores the importance of global patenting strategies for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Ongoing innovation and process optimization are reflected in subsequent patent filings, signaling active R&D efforts.
- Enforcement and licensing strategies should be aligned with the patent’s legal status, scope, and market landscape.
FAQs
1. What is the primary scope of KR100835447?
It covers a specific chemical synthesis process for producing a pharmaceutical compound, including particular reaction steps and conditions.
2. How broad are the patent claims?
The claims are process-specific with some scope to variations in reaction parameters but are constrained by prior art and precise language.
3. Which jurisdictions does the patent family extend to?
Beyond South Korea, related patents are filed in China, Japan, and the US, indicating a broad international strategy.
4. Can competitors develop alternative synthesis routes?
Yes, by employing different catalysts, solvents, or reaction steps that do not infringe on the specific claims.
5. When does this patent likely expire?
Assuming standard patent terms, expiry is around 2027-2028, providing a window for commercial exploitation and lifecycle planning.
References
- Korean Intellectual Property Office. Patent KR100835447.
- World Intellectual Property Organization. Patent family filings and statuses.
- Industry reports on pharmaceutical patent landscapes in South Korea.
- Scientific publications related to the synthesis of the patent’s target compounds.
