navigating the patent maze

According to the etc group in a recent communiqué, the “gene giants” - BASF, Monsanto, Bayer AG, Syngenta, and DuPont - have grabbed up the so-called “climate ready” genes in a total of 55 patent families. Many of the patents are said to be related to transcription factors that control stress responses, and to the proteins and genes encoding proteins that affect stress tolerance. In a discussion of several specific patents, ETC alleges that the claims encompass many plant species and, based on this, concludes that the patents are dangerously broad.

Like many reports of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) with political agendas, the etc group report is a mix of facts, mis-statements, and analysis that does not fully factor in patent law and procedures. Unfortunately, reports like this are splashed in headline news. The Washington Post featured the report in a story run on 13 May 2008. The story “Firms Seek Patents on ‘Climate Ready’ Altered Crops” was actually somewhat more balanced than its headline suggests, but I suspect that the headline has the most impact. What was still lacking in the story was a viewpoint from an expert in the patent field.

In the attached file, I’ve attempted to bring patent knowledge to bear on the report’s facts and conclusions. The basic finding is that etc group’s doomsday scenario is unwarranted. Visions of gene grabbing and holding farmers hostage are way overblown. At most, patents will be granted in only a handful of countries in the world; one major reason for this is that quite a number of countries do not allow patents on gene sequences or transformed plants. A positive fallout from the patent applications is that the sequences of the genes are published - and are free to use in countries where no patent on the gene sequence exists.

Overview patent landscapes, like this one by the etc group, are helpful for setting out the lay of the land. Conclusions about the impact of patents however, require more detailed investigation and expertise than the etc group demonstrated. In fact, we find that a detailed analysis leads to very different conclusions. In my view, it’s important - even critical - that we do not blindly accept the conclusions, but apply our knowledge to careful analysis and spreading the word.

Read or download etc climate gene commentary

According to a USDA press release (PDF), the first genetically modified crop has been approved for domestic planting in Egypt. The crop is a pest-resistant corn variety - Aljeeb-YG- that was produced by crossing a Monsanto Corp. Bt-expressing corn variety (MON 810) with an Egyptian variety, called Ajeeb. A local seed company, Fine Seeds International, will be producing and selling the seed.

As with many instances of commercialization of GM-crops, the announcement of Aljeeb-YG led to mixed reactions within Egypt. As reported by Intellectual Property Watch, the debate appears to pit biological advantages (e.g., negligible insect infestation, increased yield, decreased use of chemical insecticides) against political and intellectual property issues. Sadly, IP Watch didn’t investigate any of the claims put forth by opponents, point out fallacies of these opinions, or explain the plant protection system in Egypt.

Egyptian law (PDF) does not allow patents to issue on plants but does provide protection for plant varieties. Articles 189 et seq. set out the requirements: “a variety shall be new, distinct, uniform, stable and shall be subject of a denomination”. Protection lasts 20 years for crops other than trees and vines and gives the owner the exclusive right to commercial exploitation. Third parties (e.g., farmers) are allowed “non-commercial activities and use of the result of propagation material, by farmers on their own holdings for private propagating purposes.” In other words, farmers may save seed to replant for their own consumption. This exception is sometimes called “farmers privilege”. In addition, third parties may use the protected variety in breeding, cross-breeding and selection for the “purpose of breeding new varieties.” Curiously, protection lapses if the protected variety is offered by the owner outside Egypt. Other provisions require disclosure of the genetic source relied on to develop the variety, and moreover, assurance that the breeder acquired that source by legal means under Egyptian law.

Against this background, let’s examine some of the comments reported by IP Watch.

“This means, said Tarek Saif, biotechnologist at Egypt’s National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt’s collaboration with Monsanto started with the word “partnership” to pave the way for public acceptance of GM plant and ended with “ownership” for Monsanto. “How did an Egyptian variety become owned by Monsanto just as a result of crossing it with its line?” Saif asked.”

Egypt has a history of open access to its germplasm and is a signatory of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). The treaty fosters open exchange of genetic resources in the interest of food security. Generally, when there is open access the restrictions on protecting varieties are confined to the original variety and not to derived varieties. The new Aljeeb-YG variety was developed by Monsanto and would have been the result of more than a simple cross. Varieties with introgressed traits are the result of an initial cross followed by many backcrosses, always selecting for the introduced trait. Furthermore, it is unclear whether or not Monsanto has applied for protection for this variety. (No database of plant variety certificates could be found on the internet.)

Nagib Nassar, Egyptian professor of genetics and plant breeding at University of Brazil, believes that the new Bt corn variety will have a “heavy economic cost on the shoulder of [the] small farmer.” He cites as a reason: a possible Technology Use Agreement that will prohibit seed saving and “poor farmers … obligated to destroy any seed for future plantation.”

In the United States, Technology Use Agreements (TUA) have been used to prohibit replanting patented seed by farmers. So far, there is not any indication that Fine Seeds International will be selling seed under a TUA. Furthermore, according to a report posted at the FAO website, the vast majority of farmers in Egypt have very small farms (less than 2 acres), making enforcement of a TUA a more difficult issue than in the United States where farm land holdings are typically quite large and accessible. In addition, it is unclear whether a TUA would be upheld by an Egyptian court. Until more information is available, this criticism is unfounded. Certainly without a TUA, farmers are able to save and use seed for their own consumption.

In summary, Egyptian plant variety protection law does not put farmers at the mercy of private industry commercializers, be they multi-national companies or domestic companies. Besides, farmers have the ultimate decision whether or not to spend their money on this new variety.

Free resources for searching nucleotide and amino acid sequences in patent documents are scarce. Two resources are PatentLens and Patome@Korea. PatentLens will be reviewed in a separate posting.

Patome@Korea is newly launched. The database contains biological sequences obtained from Korean Patent Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and from KRIBB (Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology), a research institute and Center of Excellence for national biotechnology R&D. Data

The main search page allows queries for patent or publication no., keywords in title, and accession numbers. Results are presented as a list of patent documents that contain the sequence data. A second type of search if for patent information related to genes. A gene-related query, such as gene ID, gene name or RefSeq number will display sequence data associated with the query terms.

BLAST searches can be performed as well. Two different entry pages separate programs for searching protein and nucleotide data. In addition to searching the entire data set, data from Korean patents and applications can be specifically searched.

The site and information about the data isn’t terribly easy to navigate, so it might take some time browsing around to find what you want.

*see also: Lee et al., “Patome: a database server for biological sequence annotation and analysis in issued patents and published patent applications.” Nucleic Acids Res 35:D47-D50, 2007. (link)

Going forward, this blog will concentrate on news and materials that are useful for my clients and others with an interest in intellectual property and its impacts, but without formal training. The focus here will be on life sciences, although many of the posts will be applicable to all scientific and engineering fields.

Some specific areas to be covered include:

• agriculture-related patent news;
• health-related patent news, especially as it pertains to diseases of developing countries;
• availability of patent data around the world;
• patent searching;
• ways and reasons to use and evaluate patents;
• news and information for legal fields related to intellectual property (e.g., contracts and licenses);
• notable resources and organizations; plus
• the occasional humorous item or whatever else strikes my fancy (this is called editorial privilege).

I welcome feedback. Please email me at patent_maze(at)cougarlaw.com.

On World IP Day 2007, the UK Intellectual Property Office published several booklets aimed at businesses and those wanting to learn more about IP and protecting it.  (Link to resources)

"My IP" is a basic introduction to patents, trademarks, design and copyright.  It’s easy to read, and peppered with illustrative photos and drawings to provide more interest.

"My idea - is a business?"  offers a strategic plan to discover and protect your IP.  It covers basic issues that companies new to IP or new companies ought to consider. 

"IP Insight" is a monthly e-newsletter containing IP news (mainly from UK) and "how-to" articles.  The questions answered column looks particularly useful - the questions in the first issue address real-world issues.

IP Australia is undertaking to provide a patent data search facility that will eventually provide online access to all Australia patent data. (announcement)  Anyone who has tried to obtain Australian patents or search for patents becomes stone-walled by the paucity of data available.  Unfortunately, IP Australia has maintained patent data in a variety of systems and formats, including on microfiche for patent documents pre-1998.  The diagram illustrates the various systems.  View diagram

Looking forward in 2007, IP Australia plans to

• provide access to bulk patent bibliographic and status data with weekly updates;
• scan patent specification for ultimate production of searchable documents;
• set up a single access point for searching patent bibliographic and status data (currently access occurs through a web-based site for some data and a mainframe connection for other data).

The three U.S. patents owned by WARF cover nearly all research using embryonic stem cells.  Much welcomed by scientists, WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) has announced that licenses and fees will be waived for non-commercial stem cell research.  Moreover, it will no longer require companies that sponsor stem cell research at non-profit organizations to take out a license, the price of which ranged from US $75,000 to US $400,000.