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[scriver]

My brother keeps on insisting that FEMA is running death camps for hurricane victims.

...Is he... Is he doing it to troll you?

[Zangi]

He is strong with the Trump-side.  So... yea...

[Reelya]

If he's strong with the Trump-side why on Earth does he think Trump's appointees are running death camps?

[Sirus]

If he's strong with the Trump-side why on Earth does he think Trump's appointees are running death camps?

Obviously FEMA is secretly taking orders from Obama and/or Hillary to kill Trump's supporters. They probably created the hurricanes using HAARP, too!

WAKE UP SHEEPLE etc

[MetalSlimeHunt]

A common line I've been hearing from Trump supporters recently is that Trump and the Republican Party are still the government opposition and don't have control due to a "deep state" of liberal bureaucrats. And so they aren't responsible for anything bad that happens.

[Dunamisdeos]

Have heard the same since literally day one of the current admin. Frequently see things about how Obama is secretly causing all problems.

Mostly from friends' parents who are known crazyfolk.

[overseer05-15]

My hands smell of garlic sauce. I've not eaten nor come into contact with such.

[Baffler]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-08/allergan-makes-deal-with-native-american-tribe-over-drug-patents

I struggled for a while do decide if I should put this in here, Ameripol, or the laugh thread. It probably won't work but even if it doesn't it's still on a level of finaglery that's above and beyond us here on the mortal plane. It's like the corporate equivalent of calling out gold tassels on a courtroom flag.

[Dunamisdeos]

My hands smell of garlic sauce. I've not eaten nor come into contact with such.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-08/allergan-makes-deal-with-native-american-tribe-over-drug-patents

I struggled for a while do decide if I should put this in here, Ameripol, or the laugh thread. It probably won't work but even if it doesn't it's still on a level of finaglery that's above and beyond us here on the mortal plane. It's like the corporate equivalent of calling out gold tassels on a courtroom flag.

I'm having trouble understanding what is actually going on, or what they are dodging by handing over the rights.

[Grim Portent]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-08/allergan-makes-deal-with-native-american-tribe-over-drug-patents

I struggled for a while do decide if I should put this in here, Ameripol, or the laugh thread. It probably won't work but even if it doesn't it's still on a level of finaglery that's above and beyond us here on the mortal plane. It's like the corporate equivalent of calling out gold tassels on a courtroom flag.

I'm having trouble understanding what is actually going on, or what they are dodging by handing over the rights.

I think the idea is that if they sign over the patent to a sovereign entity and then pay them royalties to use it then no one can challenge the patent, because the owner is a sovereign group, and they basically never lose the exclusive rights to the medicine until the patent expires normally, which takes ages and is normally bypassed sooner by legal challenges.

[IcyTea31]

I'm having trouble understanding what is actually going on, or what they are dodging by handing over the rights.

Trump administration wants to lower drug prices, and is doing so by challenging certain patents as generic with an inter partes review. However, as the tribe is a 'sovereign government entity', the federal government has a harder time dealing with its matters. By handing the patent rights over to the tribe, the company believes it can keep its essential monopoly on the drug and rake in more cash from the misery of others. However, as noted in the article itself, they're not sure if it can hold up in court.

[Baffler]

I'm having trouble understanding what is actually going on, or what they are dodging by handing over the rights.

Ninja'd but:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

after a while (and a fairly short while, the entertainment industry's 150 year exclusive rights are the exception rather than the rule) drugs developed and sold by companies have their patents expire. After that happens other companies can start producing generic versions of that drug for much cheaper (since they don't have to recoup the cost of developing it) and the company who originally developed it loses out on their gravy train. It's possible also for companies to appeal to have the patent protections removed or even straight up withheld (under prior art objection) which is what generics manufacturers have done here with Allergan's dry eye drops.

They feel like they're likely to lose that challenge, so they sold the rights to an Indian tribe. The Indians convinced Allergan that if the tribe owned the patent, the generics companies wouldn't be able to get the patent rescinded through a review by the patent board because they have (limited) sovereign immunity. The case would have to be taken to a federal court instead, which they can make expensive and time consuming that it isn't even worth bothering with in the first place. Under the new arrangement Allergan continues exactly as before with assurance that they'll hold the patent until 2024, and the Indians collect royalty payments that the company is more than happy to make because at the end of the day they lose less money paying off the Indians than they do by losing the patent.

It's a dodge worthy of a Captain Planet villain if it does work, but as the article notes it's shaky.

[Egan_BW]

...Does anything prevent the tribe from just trololoing and licensing the drug to whoever?

[Dunamisdeos]

It would be amusing if the tribe just pocketed the initial 13 mil and sold it for like 5c a pop or something.

[IcyTea31]

...Does anything prevent the tribe from just trololoing and licensing the drug to whoever?

An official contract, probably, though terminating it or allowing it to expire can be possible depending on its actual content.