Our Work
Background Publications:
Project Publications:
Published Articles:
Aisling M McMahon, Opeyemi I Kolawole. “Biobank donation in search of public benefits and the potential impact of intellectual property rights over access to health-technologies developed: A focus on the bioethical implications” Medical Law Review, April 2024.
Reports:
Professor Aisling McMahon and Sinéad Masterson, PatentsInHumans – Year One Project Report, February 2024.
Professor Aisling McMahon and Sinéad Masterson, A Report on the Launch Event for the PatentsInHumans Project, 20th April 2023.
Blog Articles:
Ideas in ALL Blog Article 5th April 2024, Professor Aisling McMahon and Sinéad Masterson, “The ERC funded PatentsInHumans Project – Year One Project Report and Reflections!”
Ideas in ALL Blog Article 30th June 2023, Dr Opeyemi Kolowole, A Right to Repair for Medical Devices?
Ideas in ALL Blog Article 14th June 2023, Professor Aisling McMahon & Sinéad Masterson, PatentsInHumans Public Launch Event: An Overview
Journal of Medical Ethics Blog Article 4th May 2023, Professor Aisling McMahon, EU’s compulsory licensing proposals, patents and crisis preparedness – Some steps in the right direction but more to do for future pandemic preparedness
Ideas In ALL Blog Article 2nd December 2022, Professor Aisling McMahon & Sinéad Masterson, PatentsInHumans ERC Project Commences: PatentsInHumans Explores the Bioethical Implications of Patents on Technologies Related to the Human Body
Book Chapters:
Aisling McMahon and Ciara Staunton, ‘Managing access to health data for research and innovation in the EU: is a better regulatory approach possible?’ in Edward Dove (eds) Confidentiality, Privacy, and Data Protection in Biomedicine: International Concepts and Issues. (United Kingdom : Routledge, 2024).
McMahon, Aisling (2023) Decision-Makers, Institutional Influences and the Role of Ethical issues in the Patenting of Biotechnological Inventions in Europe: Enter the Unitary Patent System. In: European Patent Law: The Unified Patent Court and the European Patent Convention. De Gruyter, Germany. ISBN 9783110774016
Other:
Professor Aisling McMahon, Patently Obvious, Law Society Gazette in Ireland (April Edition) pp. 27-31.
Presentations:
Aisling McMahon, ‘Patenting of Biotechnologies in Europe: The Biotechnology Directive’ World Intellectual Property Organization Summer School organised in co-operation with Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL), Wuhan China (Invited) (Online Presentation) 10 July 2024.
Aisling McMahon, “Patents & Ethical Licensing Approaches to Steering Responsible & Ethical Uses of Emerging Technologies: A Regulatory Opportunity?” at the ‘International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property’ (ATRIP) Conference, LUISS University, Rome (30 June – 3 July 2024)
Aisling McMahon, “Patents and the Global Governance of Health: An Institutionalised Marginalisation of Health and Broader Societal Needs within Patent Decision-Making Systems?” at the International Society for the History and Theory of Intellectual Property (ISHTIP) workshop, ‘Intellectual Property Law and the Anthropocene’ Boston University (26-27 June 2024).
Aisling McMahon, “Patents & IVG Technologies within Europe: Definitional Tests, Institutional Inertia and Bioethics Gaps?” at the Wellcome Trust funded ‘Future of Human Reproduction’ ‘In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG): Ethics and Policy’ Symposium, Leiden, 3-4 June 2024 (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, “Patents & Bioethics within the European Biotechnology Directive: The Case of Human Embryo Models – Asking the Wrong Questions amidst Institutional Inertia?” at the ‘Law and Futures’ Seminar Series, Newcastle Law School, Newcastle University (22 May 2024) (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, “Patents and the Global Governance of Health: An Institutionalised Marginalisation of Health Needs within Patent Decision-Making Systems?” at the Durham CELLS (Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences) Seminar Series, Durham University (20 May 2024) (Invited)
Aisling McMahon & Opeyemi Kolawole, “Intellectual Property Rights, Control and Repair of Medical Devices: Autonomy, Sustainability and the Need (and Challenges) for a Right to Repair for Medical Devices?” at the British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association (BILETA) Conference, DCU Dublin, 18 April 2024. (presented by Aisling McMahon).
Aisling McMahon, “Bioethics, Patent Decision-Making and the Biotech Directive: A Failure to Keep Pace with Scientific Developments amidst Institutional Inertia?” SLSA Conference 2024, University of Portsmouth, England 27 March 2024.
Opeyemi Kolawole, “Competition Law and Access to Medical Technologies: Can European Competition Law Improve Patients’ Welfare and Access to Medical Technologies?” SLSA Conference 2024, University of Portsmouth, England 27 March 2024.
Aisling McMahon & Opeyemi Kolawole, “Intellectual Property Rights, Control and Repair of Medical Devices: Autonomy, Sustainability and the Need (and Challenges) for a Right to Repair for Medical Devices?” SLSA Conference 2024, University of Portsmouth, England 27 March 2024.
Aisling McMahon, ‘Guest Seminar: TRIPS, Patents and Access to Health: A Time for Critical Reflections?’, LLM Guest Seminar, University of Galway, 21 March 2024 (Invited).
Aisling McMahon, “Patents Over Brain Computer Interface ‘Technology’ & Rightsholder(s)’ Governance: A Blurring of the ‘Technological’ & Human Body,” Guest Seminar, LAWS2019: Law & Technology Module, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada (Virtual Presentation) 11 March 2024 (Invited).
Aisling McMahon, ‘The Ethical Regulation of Innovative Health Technologies: The role for Patents?’ Regulation of Innovative Health Technologies Workshop, Centre for Law and Genetics, University of Tasmania, November 2023. (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, “Bioethical issues posed by patents – and how they are used – over ‘technologies’ related to the human body: An Urgent Need for Scrutiny”, International Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (AABHL) conference, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, November 2023.
Aisling McMahon, “Patents over Brain Computer Interface ‘Technology’: A Blurring of the ‘Technological’ and Human Body with Significant Bioethical Implications”. International Interdisciplinary Workshop “Beyond Boundaries: Persons, (Bio)Technologies, & the Law” organised by the EverydayCyborgs and HybridMinds Projects, Gladstones Library, Wales, 2-3 October 2023. (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, ‘Patents, TRIPS and the Private Governance of Public Health: A Perpetuating Institutionalised Marginalisation of Health?’, COMPHACRISIS Public Health, Markets and Law Conference, UCD 29 September 2023 (Invited).
Aisling McMahon, ‘The Biotechnology Directive & the Patentability of Emerging Biotechnologies in Europe: Scope for the Consideration of Bioethical Issues in Practice?’, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Center for Studies of Intellectual Property Rights and Maynooth School of Law and Criminology Joint Intellectual Property Research Exchange, Maynooth University, 22 September 2023.
Aisling McMahon, ‘Bioethics, Patent Decision-Making and the Biotech Directive: A Failure to Keep Pace with Scientific Developments amidst Institutional Inertia?’, Conference on the 25th Anniversary of the Biotechnology Directive, Maynooth University, 15 September 2023.
Aisling McMahon, Patents and Access to Health, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Summer School on Intellectual Property Law, (Virtual Presentation) 30 June 2023. (Invited).
Aisling McMahon, Embedding Ethical Considerations in Regulation: Patents, ‘Ethical’ Licensing Clauses and Self-Regulatory Spaces. “Engineering Life: Regulating Science, Risks, and Society in Europe Conference”; 50th Anniversary of the Asilomar Conference, Rice University’s Global Center Paris. (Virtual Presentation) 15 June 2023. (Invited)
Aisling McMahon and Opeyemi Kolawole, Patents over Implantable Medical Devices: Examining the Potential Impacts of Rightsholder(s) Control and Medical Device Users’ Needs?, Planting Seeds for the Future of IP Law Conference – A conference in honour of Margaret Llewelyn., Sheffield University 8 June 2023.
Aisling McMahon, Patents, TRIPS and the Private Governance of Public Health: A Perpetuating Institutionalised Marginalisation of Health?” at the Royal Society of Edinburgh funded ‘Public Health, Trade and the Role of Law’ Workshop, University of Edinburgh, 25 May 2023. (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, “Patents, Pandemics and Public Health: Revisiting Patents Governance Role” at the AHRC funded Targeting Therapies: Exploring the Cultural and Normative Dimensions of ‘Targeted’ Approaches to Biomedicine and Public Health Workshop, University of Edinburgh, 5 May 2023. (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, ‘Patents on Technologies related to the Form, Function and Modification of the Human Body: The Urgent Need for Greater Bioethics Scrutiny in Patent Decision-Making’ Health Law Panel, Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) Conference, University of Ulster, 5 April 2023.
Aisling McMahon & Opeyemi Kolawole, “Patenting (In) the Human Body: The ‘No (Tangible) Property Rights in the Body’ Principle & Patents Considered” Intellectual Property Panel, Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) Conference, University of Ulster 5 April 2023.
Aisling McMahon, “Patents on Technologies Related to the Human Body: The Urgent Need for Greater Bioethics Scrutiny” Law and Futures Seminar “’Technology, Medicine and the Human Body”, Newcastle Law School 31 March 2023. (Invited Seminar)
Aisling McMahon, “The “ethical” regulation of “novel being” technologies: the potential role for patents as ethical drivers, blockers and guiders?” Book Launch Event: Novel Beings: Regulatory Approaches for a Future of New Intelligent Life, Newcastle Law School, 30 March 2023. (Invited)
Aisling McMahon, “Patents, Pandemics and Public Health Access to Vaccines: Lessons from COVID-19 on the Bioethics Gap” Economic, Legal, Social, and Political Perspectives on Public Policy, Department of Economics, Maynooth University 29 March 2023.
Aisling McMahon, “Patents, Access to Healthcare and Covid-19: The Role of Intellectual Property Rights & Mechanisms to Alleviate Access Issues” Immunology and Global Health Seminar, Maynooth University 21 March 2023. (Invited)