13 Biotechnology Law Report 11 (Number 1, January-February 1994)

{BLR 1606} Hybridomas-

Mabs.

MILSTEIN CONCERNED ABOUT SCIENTIFICPATENT SITUATION-- Nobel Laureate Fears Many Problems Are Being Created

CAMBRIDGE, UK 11/1/93-

Cesar Milstein, who shared a Nobel Prize in Medicine or

Physiology for his role in the development of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) and hybridomas isworried about the situation being created by the current temptation "to take out a patent even beforethe results of the experiments are certain."

In an essay written for The Immunologist (vol. 1, no. 2; March-April 1993) and reprintedin the November 1 issue of The Scientist, Milstein says that "patents are basically unfair. Butperhaps they are necessary ..." to induce companies to spend the money needed to bring a productto market. However, Milstein writes, "...the complexity and multiplicity of overlapping patents inthe field of biotechnology is creating such havoc that the counterargument — that patents are

beginning to inhibit the development of new products — should begin to be considered with theseriousness it deserves." Milstein also decries what he sees as the tensions being introduced intothe scientific community by the quest for patents. Milstein declined to obtain patents on thehybridoma and Mab technology.

# # #

{BLR 1607} Information Management.

RAPID PATENT AND EDS ANNOUNCE "PATENT ANALYZER"-

First Service to Allow Natural Language QueriesARLINGTON, VA 11/8/93

-Rapid Patent, the world's largest provider of patent

documentation, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a developer of computer informationtechnology and services, are offering a patent information service

—

Patent Analyzer—

that willenable users to obtain patent information, including full texts, using natural language queryformats. That is, instead of limiting searches to classification or keyword matches, PatentAnalyzer uses a concept search technique.

The database contains 22 years of full-text U.S. patent information for all technologies.Initially, customers will be able to use the intelligent searching capabilities of Patent

Analyzer through the search service of Rapid Patent, which has the database on line. The rates arebased on a flat fee rather than on search time and will range from $45.00 to $495.00, depending onthe type of search performed.

The two companies plan to make Patent Analyzer available in the future via dial up orremote workstations. They will extend the service available outside the United States some time in1994.

Rapid Patent also sells a CD-ROM called Patent Scan, which contains bibliographicinformation from 1974 to 1993. The price is $995.00. Soon to come is Patent Scan Update, a