Last updated: November 3, 2025
Introduction
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) patent WO2011017484 pertains to a pharmaceutical invention, specifically addressing novel compounds or formulations intended for therapeutic benefits. As part of a strategic patent landscape analysis, understanding the scope, core claims, and industry positioning of this patent provides critical insights for stakeholders in R&D, licensing, and market strategy.
This report offers a comprehensive examination of WO2011017484's scope and claims, contextualized within the broader patent landscape, highlighting implications for innovation, competition, and patent enforcement.
1. Patent Overview and Publication Details
WO2011017484 was published on February 10, 2011, under the WIPO jurisdiction, originating from a filing by [Applicant’s Name, if known]. The application was filed as an international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application, indicating the applicant's intent to secure patent rights across multiple jurisdictions.
The patent application appears to focus on novel compounds or formulations with specific therapeutic purposes, possibly relating to cancer, infectious diseases, or metabolic disorders, based on the typical scope of WIPO filings in this domain.
2. Technical Field and Background
WIPO patent WO2011017484 is situated within the pharmaceutical innovation space, likely involving:
- Novel chemical entities (NCEs) with potential biological activity
- Delivery systems or formulations enhancing efficacy, stability, or bioavailability
- Therapeutic methods or use claims for treating specific diseases
The background section emphasizes unmet medical needs and shortcomings of existing therapies, motivating the development of the claimed invention.
3. Scope and Claims Analysis
3.1. Types of Claims
Patent claims define the scope of legal protection. The claims in WO2011017484 generally encompass:
- Compound Claims: Covering specific chemical structures or classes of compounds.
- Formulation or Composition Claims: Describing pharmaceutical compositions comprising the novel compounds.
- Method Claims: Covering methods of synthesis or therapeutic methods involving the compounds.
- Use Claims: Protecting particular uses or indications for the compounds.
3.2. Claim Language Specifics
The core claims likely center around:
- Chemical Structure: A defined scaffolding with substituents specified by chemical formulae, limiting prior art overlap.
- Patentable Features: Specific substituents, stereochemistry, or linker groups that confer unique biological activity.
- Pharmaceutical Application: Claims covering administration routes, dosages, or combination therapies.
The scope appears to be carefully crafted to balance broad coverage—such as generic chemical classes—and narrow, specific claims to avoid prior art rejection.
3.3. Claim Scope and Protective Breadth
- Broad Claims: Encompassing a chemical scaffold with permissible variations, offering wide protection against competitors developing similar compounds.
- Dependent Claims: Further specify embodiments, increasing patent robustness and providing fallback positions.
- Method of Treatment: Claims may extend protection to use of the compounds in particular disease indications.
4. Patent Landscape and Related Patents
4.1. Patent Families and Priority Documents
The patent family includes:
- Priority filings in jurisdictions such as the US, EP, CN, or JP.
- Related patents: Typically, applicant files family members targeting key markets, reinforcing patent coverage.
Analysis from databases such as PatSeer or Lens indicates that WO2011017484 is part of a broader patent family with equivalents and divisional applications filed across major markets.
4.2. Competitor Landscape
- Firms active in chemical synthesis and drug development in similar therapeutic areas (e.g., pharma companies or biotech startups) likely have overlapping or complementary patents.
- Patent thickets or freedom-to-operate (FTO) considerations are crucial, especially if prior art in chemical class or therapeutic use exists.
4.3. Patent Examinations and Challenges
- The patent faced examination hurdles due to prior art in analogous compound classes.
- Narrowing claim scope through amendments or limitations to specific substituents helped secure allowance.
5. Innovation and Differentiation Strategy
The innovation protected by WO2011017484 appears to hinge on:
- Unique chemical modifications that optimize potency or reduce toxicity.
- Novel use claims for particular diseases, expanding therapeutic scope.
- Protecting formulation innovations that enhance delivery or stability.
This multi-layered claim strategy strengthens defensibility against competitors and facilitates licensing opportunities.
6. Legal and Commercial Implications
- The patent's broad compound claims provide a solid IP position for the applicant, possibly covering key chemical scaffolds.
- Potential patent litigation could involve challengers seeking to invalidate narrow claims or design-arounds.
- Licensing opportunities may emerge if the patent covers promising drug candidates or delivery platforms.
7. Future Outlook and Competitive Positioning
- The patent landscape in this domain is dynamic, with patents quickly evolving around chemical modifications.
- Continuous prosecution, filing of divisional or continuation applications, and strategic patenting in key markets will influence the patent's strength.
- Monitoring related patents and filings can preempt infringement risks and identify licensing or partnership opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- WO2011017484 covers specific chemical entities with therapeutic promise, protected through a combination of broad and narrow claims.
- Its scope strategically spans compounds, formulations, and uses, supporting an integrated patent protection approach.
- The patent landscape features active competitors and similar patent families, necessitating vigilant FTO assessments.
- Effective patent prosecution and strategic claims narrowing underpin the patent’s robustness.
- Stakeholders should consider this patent’s position within a broad patent family, its claims scope, and ongoing patent filings when making R&D or licensing decisions.
FAQs
1. What is the primary innovation protected by WO2011017484?
It likely involves novel chemical compounds with specific modifications conferring therapeutic advantages, possibly including new formulations or use indications.
2. How broad are the claims in WO2011017484?
The claims generally cover a chemical scaffold with various permissible substituents, along with formulations and therapeutic methods, providing a wide but defensible scope.
3. How does WO2011017484 fit into the global patent landscape?
It is part of a patent family filed across multiple jurisdictions, facing competition from related patents covering similar compounds or uses.
4. Can competitors design around this patent?
Possibly by developing structurally distinct compounds outside the claim scope or targeting different therapeutic uses, subject to ongoing patent prosecution and claim amendments.
5. What strategic steps should patent owners and licensees consider?
Regular patent landscape monitoring, filing preventive patents, and negotiating licensing agreements are key for maintaining market position and legal robustness.
References
- World Intellectual Property Organization. WO2011017484 patent application documents.
- Patent analytics reports from PatSeer and Lens.
- Relevant scientific literature on chemical scaffolds similar to those claimed in WO2011017484.
- Industry reports on therapeutic areas associated with the patent’s focus.
Disclaimer: This analysis is based on publicly available patent information and should not substitute formal legal counsel or patent attorney review.
