March 10, 2010
US appeals court rules against Ajinomoto on feed supplement
A US appeals court ruled that Ajinomoto patents to produce lysine, a feed supplement, were not violated by competitors.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears most patent appeals, ruled on Monday (Mar 8) that the International Trade Commission was correct in ruling that three Ajinomoto patents were not violated by Global Bio-Chem Technology Group Co Ltd, Changchun Dacheng Bio-chem Engineering Development Co Ltd, Changchun Baocheng Bio-Chem Development Co Ltd, Changchun Dahe Bio Technology Development Co, or Bio-chem Technology Ltd.
Two of the patents have to do with ways to produce lysineusing genetically engineered bacteria to get larger quantities. Lysine is an amino acid that is fed to livestock.
Portions of the lawsuit date back to 2006.