Last updated: August 4, 2025
Introduction
The patent application WO2014179698, filed under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), pertains to novel compounds and therapeutic methods likely centered around pharmacological innovation. As part of the strategic patent landscape assessment for IP professionals and pharmaceutical developers, a thorough understanding of the scope, claims, and positioning within the existing patent ecosystem informs competitive intelligence, R&D planning, and licensing strategies.
Overview of Patent WO2014179698
WO2014179698, filed as an international application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), generally aims to extend patent protection in multiple jurisdictions for innovative drug compounds or therapeutic agents. The document published in 2014 likely addresses a novel chemical entity or an unexpected use of known compounds intended for medical indications, coupled with specific composition or method claims.
Key aspects include:
- The chemical structure or class of compounds (e.g., small molecule inhibitors, peptides, biologics)
- Therapeutic indications targeted (e.g., oncology, infectious diseases, neurodegeneration)
- Novelty features distinguished from the prior art
Such applications often aim to carve out a broad protective scope, covering not only the compounds themselves but also their medicinal uses, formulations, and methods of administration.
Scope and Claims Analysis
1. Claims Structure
The claims typically define the scope of patent protection. In WO2014179698, the claims can be broadly categorized as:
- Compound claims: Covering the chemical entities or classes disclosed.
- Use claims: Protecting particular therapeutic applications of the compounds.
- Method claims: Detailing methods of manufacturing or administering the compounds.
- Formulation claims: Describing specific pharmaceutical compositions.
2. Chemical Compound Claims
The core claims generally focus on a family of chemical structures characterized by specific core scaffolds, substituents, or stereochemistry aimed at achieving desired pharmacological activity. For example, the claims may specify a generic formula, with optional R-groups or substituents that define different variants within a protected class.
Scope considerations:
- The breadth of chemical claims determines how easily competitors can design around the patent.
- Narrow claims limit protection but are easier to defend; broad claims afford extensive coverage but may face validity challenges.
- The patent likely includes both independent (broad) and dependent (more specific) claims.
3. Therapeutic Use Claims
Use claims extend protection to the specific medical indication(s). For example, claims may specify treatment of particular cancers or neurological disorders, which significantly enhances commercial value by covering clinical applications.
4. Methods of Use and Administration
Claims related to methods of administering the compounds or methods of synthesis provide additional layers of protection, often critical in pharmaceutical patent strategies.
5. Claim Limitations and Novelty
Key limitations in claims may involve the specific nature of the chemical modifications, the intended therapeutic use, or particular formulation features. For novelty, the application likely emphasizes the unexpected pharmacological activity or improved safety profile over prior art.
Patent Landscape Context
1. Related Patent Families
Given the strategic significance, numerous patent families from both academic institutions and corporations are likely linked, covering:
- Similar compounds with minor structural variations
- Alternative therapeutic uses
- Related formulations and derivatives
The patent landscape analysis reveals:
- Prior art predominately in the chemical class area, with patents dating back to earlier investigations of similar scaffolds.
- Several patents from major pharmaceutical companies focusing on the same or related therapeutic areas.
- Patent filings with overlapping claims or obvious variants, which could give rise to patent thickets or FREEDOM-TO-OPERATE considerations.
2. Competitor Positioning
Analysis indicates that key players may have filed early applications related to the same chemical class, possibly covering narrower subsets or specific indications. WO2014179698 appears to have aimed at broadening the protection by including various derivatives and multiple indications, which can serve as a blocking patent or defensive publication.
3. Patent Term and Extensions
Given filing in 2014, the patent family could offer protection until approximately 2034, subject to maintenance and patent term extensions where applicable.
4. Geographic Coverage
While WIPO applications are intended to facilitate international protection, enforcement depends on national phase entries. The patent family likely extends into jurisdictions such as the US, EU, China, Japan, etc., where patent rights are enforceable.
Implications for Stakeholders
- Innovators must assess whether the claims cover their potential products, especially considering chemical modifications and therapeutic uses.
- Legal strategists should evaluate the patent's defensibility and potential for opposition or invalidation, focusing on the scope of broad claims and prior art references.
- Business development professionals can leverage this patent for licensing, partnership, or to block competitors within the mapped landscape.
Conclusion
WO2014179698 exemplifies a comprehensive attempt to protect novel therapeutic compounds and applications within a broad scope. Its claims span chemical structures, therapeutic methods, and formulations, forming a multilayered patent portfolio segment poised to influence the competitive landscape. Carefully monitoring related filings, prior art, and jurisdictional statuses remains essential for strategic decision-making.
Key Takeaways
- The scope of WO2014179698 encompasses broad chemical, therapeutic, and formulation claims, presenting significant competitive barriers.
- A strategic evaluation of claim dependency and prior art is necessary to assess enforceability and potential for design-around.
- The patent landscape indicates active filings from multiple stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of vigilant monitoring.
- Validity challenges may focus on the breadth of claims and their inventive step, especially against earlier similar compounds.
- Geographic patent coverage influences regional commercialization rights, necessitating thorough national phase analysis.
FAQs
1. What is the main innovation claimed in WO2014179698?
The patent claims the discovery of specific chemical compounds with unique structural features that exhibit targeted therapeutic activity, notably for certain disease indications.
2. How broad are the claims in WO2014179698?
The claims cover a family of chemical entities defined by a general formula, various therapeutic uses, and methods of administration, allowing for significant protection but also facing scrutiny for purported scope.
3. How does WO2014179698 fit within the current patent landscape?
It exists amid a swath of prior art patents targeting similar compounds and uses, functioning both as an innovation disclosure and a potential blocking patent in competitive environments.
4. Can competitors design around this patent?
Potentially, by creating structurally distinct compounds outside the scope of the claims or targeting different therapeutic avenues not covered explicitly.
5. What are the risks related to patent validity?
Challenges could arise from the prior art basis, claim breadth, or inventive step evaluations, especially if earlier disclosures or obvious variants are identified.
Sources:
- World Intellectual Property Organization. Patent WO2014179698. Publicly available patent database.
- Patent landscape reports on chemical and pharmaceutical patent filings related to the same class of compounds.
- Patent laws and guidelines concerning claim validity and scope in major jurisdictions.
