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German court suspends mRNA patent trial against BioNTech
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DUESSELDORF (Reuters) – A German court on Thursday suspended a patent trial against BioNTech over the use of mRNA technology in the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German company together with its U.S. partner Pfizer.
DUESSELDORF (Reuters) – A German court on Thursday suspended a patent trial against BioNTech over the use of mRNA technology in the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German company together with its U.S. partner Pfizer.
The Duesseldorf regional court said it needed further clarification and suspended the case, brought by BioNTech competitor CureVac, pending decisions by the German and the European patent offices on a legal challenge filed by BioNTech.
A separate patent infringement case brought by CureVac was previously suspended by the Duesseldorf court because a higher court first needs to review that patent’s validity. A decision is expected in December.
(This story has been corrected to say court will await decisions by German and European patent offices, not by federal patent court in paragraph 2. It also corrects to refer to a separate case in paragraph 3)
(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)
mRNA technology involves using messenger RNA to instruct cells to produce proteins, which can help in developing vaccines, such as those for COVID-19.
A patent is a legal right granted to an inventor or assignee for a certain period, giving them exclusive rights to make, use, or sell an invention.
A patent trial is a legal proceeding where the validity of a patent is challenged, often involving disputes over the use of patented technology.
A competitor is a company or individual that offers similar products or services in the same market, vying for the same customers.
A legal challenge is a formal dispute brought before a court, often questioning the validity of a law, regulation, or patent.
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