Feb 21 2007
Genentech, Inc. has announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a final Office action in its reexamination of the Cabilly, et al. U.S. Patent No. 6,331,415 ('415 patent) and rejected the patentability of the claims of the '415 patent.
Genentech plans to respond to the final Office action within the next several months and, if necessary, appeal the decision through all appropriate means of review within the Patent Office and the courts.
The U.S. Patent Office has made a copy of the final Office action available to the public on its website.
The '415 patent remains valid and enforceable through the appeals process. The company estimates that the entire appeals process may take approximately one to two years, or longer.