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June2011: ACI Blog update
June 17th, 2011
in Advertising & Marketing, Anti-Corruption / FCPA, Employment & Benefits, Expert Guest Blog Entries, Financial Services, Healthcare, Insurance and Reinsurance, Intellectual Property, International Trade & Defense, Legal Conferences, Litigation, Regulatory Compliance and Trade, Surveys and Polls |
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Special Q&A session with EARN on Microsavings
January 14th, 2011
in Expert Guest Blog Entries, Legal Conferences, Surveys and Polls |
What can Microsavings do to diminish poverty? Microsavings options are typically offered in developing and developed countries as a way to encourage saving for education and other future investments. American Conference Institute held a special Q&A session with EARN to find out what makes Microsavings so attractive and beneficial for all parties.
Follow ACI via Twitter @microsummit and Earn @EARN
Download the interactive PDF! If not, you can view the plain text below.
ACI: What is the goal of microsavings?
EARN: EARN is the nation’s largest and fastest-growing microsavings program for low-income workers. Our asset building model combines financial education, microsavings accounts, and additional financial products and services. We match our clients’ savings for investment in life-changing goals such as going to college, purchasing first homes, or starting small businesses.
Through EARN, Bay Area low-income workers can open microsavings accounts and begin saving to invest in high-yield assets, including homeownership, post-secondary education, and micro-enterprise development. Client deposits are matched 2:1 up to $2,000 for total potential savings of $6,000. Since 2002, EARN clients have opened more than 3,000 accounts and deposited over $4 million of their own hard-earned dollars.
In our financial education classes, clients gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to successfully manage their finances and establish relationships within the economic mainstream. In addition to mandated financial education, clients are also offered a bank account, free tax preparation to leverage the Earned Income Tax Credit, and a wide range of monthly financial workshops.
EARN also offers a family-based matched product called the SAFE account (Savings Account For Education), in which families save together for a child’s educational enrichment and college readiness. SAFE accounts receive a 3:1 match on $500, accumulating a total of $2,000. These funds can be used for college tuition and expenses, as well as for educational enrichment that prepares students to attend college and increases their competitiveness as applicants.
2. Is there a particular region of the world that would greatly benefit from microsavings? Why?
EARN emphasizes domestic microsavings, helping families across the United States achieve the American Dream. In our prosperous country, everyone deserves the opportunity to create prosperity for their families. Microsavings programs provide that opportunity to low-income families throughout the country.
ACI: What are they key features required in a savings product for a successful, scalable microsavings program?
EARN: A scalable microsavings account should have the following qualities:
1. FDIC-insured
2. No fees
3. No required minimum balance
4. Interest-bearing
5. Accessible online and through mobile technologies
6. Compatible with an ATM card
7. Available to those without Social Security Numbers
ACI: Which of your clients’ financial choices do you monitor through your microsavings program?
EARN: In our matched savings program, participants’ financial choices are monitored through the course of their participation. In addition, our EARN Research Institute tracks clients’ financial self-efficacy through a variety of factors including personal net worth, household net worth, savings amount and frequency, debt, credit score, financial optimism and financial knowledge. Every quarter, we prepare a quantitative and qualitative analysis (http://www.earn.org/about/quarterly_reports) of our impact on people’s financial lives.
ACI: Does microsavings really help low-income families achieve prosperity?
EARN: EARN’s clients continue to beat the odds by saving and investing for their future, increasing their economic stability, and preparing to leverage their assets into even greater gains for themselves and for their families. A recent study conducted by the EARN Research Institute found that 83% of low-income workers who participated in our matched savings program continued saving after graduateing, indicating that microsavings can have a long-term impact as a poverty prevention tool.
Take our Microfinance short survey and receive the PDF results when you complete the whole survey. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SPZLK2X
Tags: Conference Workshops, legal conferences, Legal Publications, Microfinance, Microsavings, Social media
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First word that comes to mind when you think of maximizing pharmaceutical patents?
October 27th, 2010
in Expert Guest Blog Entries, Litigation, Pharmaceuticals / Biotech / Life Sciences, Regulatory Compliance and Trade, Surveys and Polls |
Biotech Patents
The biotech industry is at an amazing crossroads right now, with major developments in case law at the Supreme Court and District Court levels, new legislation making an abbreviated pathway for follow-on biologics a reality at last, and new initiatives in the PTO under the Obama administration. Cases like Bilski v. Kappos and Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. United States Patent and Trademark Office, et al. (“Myriad”) are casting doubt on long standing precedents regarding the patentability of IP portfolio cornerstones such as genes and diagnostic methods. With the recent District Court opinion in Myriad holding that genes are not patentable subject matter, the American biotech industry must prepare for an inevitable onslaught of challenges to existing patents and must learn how to carefully draft patent claims going forward to insulate themselves from future disputes. Additionally, the Obama administration has evinced a desire to streamline the PTO patent process and eliminate the PTO backlog through a series of new initiatives. Most signifi cantly, the administration has taken the long-awaited step of approving generic biologics under Title VII of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”). It has truly been a game-changing year for the biotech world.
While biotech practitioners are facing daunting challenges in the wake of often-conflicting case law and novel legislation, this is also a time for emerging leaders to capitalize on an epic opportunity to increase market share. While this is a difficult, uncertain time, it is also a time in which great growth is possible.
Patent Term Adjustment and Patent Term Extensions
PTA and PTE are essential to patent life cycle longevity – especially in the life sciences. The life sciences industries invest numerous resources into preserving the patent life and subsequent profits of products which take years to produce. Each day of patent life equals millions of dollars in profits. A loss of even one day can have substantial impact on your company’s profit margin. Moreover, recent court decisions and the introduction of an abbreviated pathway for follow-on biological products have made knowing the “ins and outs” of PTE and PTA a critical competency for every patent practitioner servicing the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.
Paragraph IV Disputes
The inherent intensity of Paragraph IV litigation has been magnifi ed of late by the seemingly unending repercussions of the Hatch-Waxman reforms of the MMA, proposed Patent Reform legislation, the approval of an abbreviated pathway for follow-on biological products and threat of pending legislation, which may make settlements of these matters near impossible – let alone illegal. These factors have added to the complexity of this litigation, and have also raised the monetary ante to unprecedented heights. In this environment, it is imperative that brand name and generic pharmaceutical companies and their counsel, have the offensive moves and defensive plays that they need to meet the challenges of pharmaceutical patent endgame litigation.
In light of these issues, we asked a very simple question. Although we asked for only one word, we got an interesting assortment of answers. Add your opinion at the bottom and join us on Twitter @aci_c5pharma.
First word that comes to mind when you think of maximizing pharmaceutical patents?
“Life Cycle Management”
“Paragraph-IV”
“Continuation patent application (CA) & continuation in part patent (CIP)”
“SPCs”
“A life cycle program that is driven by innovation, not desperation!”
“Apart from Life cycle management & extension, Patent filing creates strong patent portfolio which is difficult to circumvent. Again to meet unmet needs and further innovations also require patent protection. Eg. NDF gives only 3 yr exclusivity in US where as patent for such NDF can extend the life cycle for approx. 20 yrs”
“Patenting a molecule is a good idea. However, when patents spell out the processes, they give significant fodder to develop processes that are better, simpler and can be used to create processes that are sustainable and cheaper. Patented processes can be circumvented”
” OTC Switch! Patent OTC indications in method of use patent if not obvious. (eg Minoxidil)”
“Legal-Fees!”
“A drug’s IP position is maximised by quality drafting and prosecution and then taking advantage of the extensions available coupled with awareness of 3rd party IP and a strategy for dealing with any potential issues. This is really a minimum standard, which is frequently not reached, particularly by new companies. Small firms invariably need to partner with an established pharma company in order to complete clinical trials and drug marketing. A basic due diligence by the potential partner commonly leads to rejection of the opportunity due to the poor state of the IP position, which could potentially have been avoided by appropriate planning and investment earlier on. IP due diligence forms a 1st pass screen for potential deals because of the high failure rate”
Tags: ACI publications, legal conferences, Litigation strategies, Patents, Pharmaceutical, Social media, USPTO
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