In what should come as no surprise, one of the world's largest manufacturers of cutting-edge high-tech is suing a major direct competitor for patent infringement. No, it's not a salvo in the ongoing Apple and Samsung battle -- Illumina
If recent legal history is any guide, this particular suit won't change much, but it's important to know what's at stake in the fast-growing sequencing industry.
If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em
Illumina's been down this road before. It settled with rival sequencer Affymetrix
Life Technologies is no stranger to litigation, either. It lost a court battle with Pacific Biosciences
A little too specific
While most of these suits seem to have minimal impact on genome sequencing's largest players, the frequency of legal filings could threaten to hold back technological progress. Sequencing costs should soon become widely affordable, but if patents covering actual genes are upheld, the industry could run into roadblocks.
A recent case, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics
It's important to stay on top of the major legal tussles in this growing industry, whether you're an investor or an interested gene-sequencing observer. Add these companies to your Watchlist now to get all the coverage as you need it.
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