The Indian pharmaceutical market may soon undergo significant changes due to the expiration of the patent for semaglutide — the active ingredient behind the extremely popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic. This paves the way for local pharmaceutical companies to launch much cheaper generic versions.

In 2026, the pharmaceutical market is entering a period of significant transformation, as a number of the world’s most profitable drugs are set to lose patent protection. This wave of expiring exclusivity, often referred to in the industry as the “patent cliff,” may lead to a sharp decline in revenues for major pharmaceutical companies and a substantial redistribution of the market in favor of generic and biosimilar manufacturers.

The 19-year-old British darts player and reigning world champion Luke Littler has filed an application with the UK Intellectual Property Office to register rights to the use of his face as a trademark. In doing so, the athlete aims to protect his likeness from unauthorized use, particularly in products created using artificial intelligence that may imitate his image without permission.

Chinese technology company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has suspended the global launch of its new artificial intelligence–based video generation model, Seedance 2.0, following a series of disputes related to copyright infringement.

The Government of the russian federation is working on the creation of a mechanism that may allow the introduction of temporary administration of intellectual property rights owned by foreign companies. This concerns a potentially significant shift in approaches to the protection of intellectual property rights in the context of geopolitical tensions.

A former employee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has agreed to pay USD 122,480 to settle a conflict of interest case. The corresponding announcement was released by the U.S. Department of Justice.