Venable attorneys Michael Gollin and Tom Barry coauthored an article describing amendments to China's patent law. The article currently appears on Law360's intellectual property, international trade and health law pages.

As noted by the authors, as of October 1, 2009, China's patent law will require disclosure of the origin of any genetic resources used in an invention for which patent protection is sought in China. This change potentially affects any company in the chemical or biotechnological industries that files patent applications in China.

In the article, Gollin and Barry recommend that companies in those industries take steps to ensure that their sourcing and research and development operations are aware of these changes and have policies in place to ensure compliance.