Business
TMT Patent Update
TMT Patent Update.
About this update from Proteome Sciences Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \n PROTEOME SCIENCES plc \n\n PRESS RELEASE \n\n TMT® Patent Update \n\n20th March, 2008. The Board of Proteome Sciences is pleased to confirm to\nshareholders that it holds issued, granted and enforceable patents for its TMT®\ntechnology in the major global jurisdictions, including the US and Europe.\n\nBefore grant in Europe, the European TMT® patent went through an extensive\nexamination process and was exposed to anonymous `third party observations' at\nthat time. These were dismissed and the patent went through to full grant and\nissued on 13th June 2007 (EP 1275004).\n\nThe Board has noted that an opposition has been lodged at the European Patent\nOffice based largely on the same grounds that were made prior to grant through\n`third party observations'. We will be submitting a full, robust and thorough,\nresponse to the opposition in the same way as during the `third party\nobservations'.\n\nProteome Sciences plc and its patent counsel are in the process of reviewing\nthe opposition. Their initial view is that the opposition does not raise any\ngrounds of objection that prejudice the validity of the patent. These actions\nconfirm the importance and value of the TMT® isobaric tandem mass tags.\n\nThis does not in any way affect the existing status of the TMT® patent in\nEurope which is issued and enforceable and the Board believes that any\nmanufacture or use of products using isobaric tandem mass tags that come under\nthe broad scope of the TMT® patent may need licences from Proteome Sciences.\n\nIt is not expected that this process will have any impact on the rapid growth\nand demand for isobaric mass tags technology nor should it have any effect on\nProteome Sciences' ability to successfully conclude the outlicencing of TMT®\nreagents in the early part of 2008.\n\n Ends \n\nContact Proteome Sciences plc at www.proteomics.com\n\nChristopher Pearce, Chief Executive Officer\n\nJames Malthouse, Finance Director, Proteome Sciences plc\n\nDr. Ian Pike, Chief Business Officer, Proteome Sciences plc\n\nTel: +44 (0)1932 865065\n\nAdrian Shaw, IKON Associates\n\nTel: +44 (0)1483 535102 / +44 (0)797 9900733\n\nMatt Baldwin, COAST Communications\n\nTel: +44 (0)1233 503200\n\nShaun Dobson, Landsbanki Securities (UK) Ltd\n\nTel: +44 (0)207 426 9582\n\nGareth Price, Landsbanki Securities (UK) Ltd\n\nTel: +44 (0)207 426 9081\n...