News from Abroad — Australia Remains a Gene-Patent Friendly Jurisdiction

By Grant Shoebridge* — When the Australian High Court ruled against the patentability of isolated naturally occurring genes in the Myriad decision, a number of commentators believed that the decision would ultimately invalidate claims directed to methods involving the practical application of genes. A recent Federal Court decision, however, has confirmed that claims directed to methods involving the correlation of gene sequences to a particular trait in cattle are patent eligible subject matter in Australia. Background This case concerns an appeal of an unsuccessful Patent Office opposition, by Meat & Livestock Australia Limited (MLA) and Dairy Australia Limited against Australian…Original Article