Stem Cell Claims Face Legal Hurdles

摘要

Researchers hoping to sew up rights to discoveries involving human embryonic stem (ES) cells in Europe are facing an uphill battle. In recent months, the European Patent Office (EPO) has rejected two applications involving human ES cells and limited a third, arguing each time that the patents would violate the European Patent Convention, which prohibits the industrial or commercial use of human embryos. The decisions are subject to appeal, but the initial rulings signal a wide gap between policies at EPO, which issues patents valid in its 28 member countries, and those of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which has granted dozens of patents involving cells derived from human embryos.