Intellectual Property and Assessing its Financial Value

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Patents

said nucleic acids, host cells containing said vectors, and homologues

and fragments comprising bioactive regions of said polypeptides. Also

methods wherein these products are used – such as methods to treat

certain diseases – will be protected if allowed by patent law. Claims

covering “methods to treat a disease” are patentable in the United

States according to US patent law, but not within Europe according to

European law. Claims to nucleic acids as such might not be patentable

any more in the United States (discussed later).

In short, companies and their patent attorneys will often try to cover

every aspect of their inventions in ...