The glut of patents that bombarded major patent offices in the late nineties appears to be on the wane; patent approval rates have also dropped. According to the US Department of Commerce, in 2002, 33,131 biotech patents were pending and 23,992 were granted. Over the past decade, companies have dramatically overtaken research institutions and government as patentees: in 1993, companies received just 3% of all patent approvals; last year, they claimed almost seven out of ten new patents.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lawrence, S. Biotech patenting matures. Nat Biotechnol 22, 1202 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1004-1202
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1004-1202
This article is cited by
-
Insights into US public biotech sector using patenting trends
Nature Biotechnology (2006)