The Hague rendered a judgment in the patent case between Taste of Nature (Koppert Cress) and Cresco on the patentability of a plant (Raphanus sativa) obtained by an unpatentable biological process. Court of the Hague, 408315 / KG ZA 11-1414.
Taste of Nature started the summary proceedings in early December 2011. They were of the opinion [...]

“There are 10,000 baby boomers entering Medicare every day… If you could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by five years, you’d save Medicare $50 billion a year. That’s what biotechnology companies do.”  ~Jim Greenwood
James Greenwood, President & CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) gave the keynote speech at the BioOhio conference yesterday outlining his [...]

In a 2-1 decision, the Federal Circuit upheld that companies can patent genes but decided that they cannot patent methods to compare the gene sequences.
The Federal Circuit handed down a decision on the Myriad Genetics appeal from the decision of the US District Court holding that a gaggle of medical organizations, researchers, genetic counselors, and [...]

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) hosted a U.S./China Biotechnology Examiner Workshop with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) on March 28, 2011 in Beijing, China. The workshop which was organized by BIO for SIPO examiners, focused on biotechnology patenting and encouraged bilateral cooperation between SIPO and the USPTO.
The [...]

The Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) an amicus curiae brief in the AMP v. USPTO and Myriad Genetics case, a lawsuit challenging patents covering diagnostic tests for mutations in genes.  In the district court, the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics lost in a U.S. court ruling [...]

In a lawsuit challenging patents covering diagnostic tests for mutations in genes, the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics lost a U.S. court ruling over some of its patents for detecting inherited breast cancer related to the human genes known as Breast Cancer [...]

Earlier, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), and a whole gaggle of others filed a lawsuit challenging patents covering diagnostic tests for mutations in genes.   Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. United States Patent and Trademark Office, et al.
On March 29, [...]

Huw G. Hallybone, a Partner at Carpmaels & Ransford, gave a talk at the BIO IP Counsels Committee Conference (IPCC) in Boston last week about allowable subject matter at the EPO.
Article 53
Exceptions to patentability
European patents shall not be granted in respect of:
(a) inventions the commercial exploitation of which would be contrary to “ordre public” or morality; [...]