Caribou Biosciences, CRISPR Therapeutics, Editas Medicines Inc., Intellia Therapeutics, Broad Institute, University of California Berkeley, University of Vienna

A patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recommended the office’s Patent Trial and Appeals Board conduct an interference proceeding in the ongoing dispute over ownership of IP covering gene editing technology CRISPR/ Cas9 ( CRISPR-associated protein 9). The examiner issued the recommendation for patent application 13/842,859, which lists Emmanuelle Charpentier, formerly at the University of Vienna, and the University of California Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna as inventors.

Two separate groups have filed patents, published papers and founded companies based on their respective claims to inventorship. The group led by Doudna and Charpentier was the first to file IP covering the technology. The other group, led by Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute, was issued the first patent under an accelerated review protocol. USPTO did not respond to inquiries concerning PTAB’s timeline for a decision on whether it will conduct an interference proceeding. ...