The patenting of stem cells: an EU perspective
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
In a decision that was welcomed by the biotechnology industry in December 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that a parthenote – an unfertilized human ovum stimulated to grow by parthenogenesis – is not capable of developing into a human being and so can be patented. In this article, Paul Harris – a IP Litigation Partner at Pillsbury Law – examines the CJEU's decision, and explores how the EU seeks to keep the moral balance in place, while allowing the patent system to work.