Public disclosure of biological sequences in global patent practice
World Patent Information, December 01, 2015
Author: Jefferson, O.A., Deniz Köllhofer, Prabha Ajjikuttira & Richard A Jefferson
World Patent Information 43 : 12-24
Abstract
Biological sequences are an important part of global patenting, with unique challenges for their effective and equitable use in practice and in policy. Because their function can only be determined with computer-aided technology, the form in which sequences are disclosed matters greatly. Similarly, the scope of patent rights sought and granted requires computer readable data and tools for comparison. Critically, the primary data provided to the national patent offices and thence to the public, must be comprehensive, standardized, timely and meaningful. It is not yet. The proposed global Patent Sequence (PatSeq) Data platform can enable national and regional jurisdictions meet the desired standards.
1. Introduction
In the traditional working of the patent system, an inventor secures governmental rights to exclude others from making, using, or selling his/her invention for a limited time in exchange for publicly disclosing the full details of the invention – what is called ‘the teachings’. The teachings derived from the disclosure and the practice of an invention enable the public to use the invention through licensing, to use the invention freely without license outside the jurisdiction, scope and timeframe of protection, build upon the invention through research and development, improve upon it, or design around it to advance scientific and technological capabilities and ultimately to benefit society.