Tougher Standards for Biotech

Fierce Biotech:

With the number of patents on gene-related discoveries soaring, IP experts say that the process of gaining a patent has become much more complex. Isolating and sequencing a protein won't cut it anymore, say attorneys. You now have to demonstrate a "credible utility" outlining what it can do. Biotech patent applications are considered a prime reason why the total number of patent filings in the U.S. hit 409,500 last year. And many of these patents are out to protect new therapies rather than genetic links to disease.