DNA patenting down
The number of DNA-related patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office declined in 2004. So says the Washington, DC-based intellectual property law firm Finnegan Henderson, which conducted a DNA patent study published June 20. According to the 2005 Biotechnology Innovation Report, about 9% fewer patents with the word “DNA” in the specification were issued in 2004 than in 2003. US patents, writ large, declined 3%. The slump was most notable at universities and research institutes. The patenting decline extends a downward trend in DNA patenting that started in 2000; last year, authors of the Finnegan report observed a drop of 11% between 2001 and 2003 (Nat. Biotechnol. 22, 930–931, 2004). Interestingly, in 2004 the number of new DNA patent applications also fell, reversing a sharply increasing trend. Notable exceptions were fields like RNA interference (RNAi) and kinase-related agbiotech research, where patent activity went up. Top DNA related US patent holder University of California added 14 patents to its portfolio of 118 and the US government held on to second place with 94 patents, up from 87 in 2003. Private companies Applera (78 patents) and Genentech (55 patents) captured third and fourth place. About two-thirds of DNA patents are privately held. PV
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution