January 9, 2004

Inproteo Switches Strategies in Seeking Licensing Fees for a Patent

By GOLDIE BLUMENSTYK

A biotechnology company that had been trying to enforce a patent against universities is backing off.

The company, Inproteo, which is partly owned by Indiana and Purdue Universities, had sent hundreds of letters to companies and universities that use its patented "His-tag" process, a common research technique for separating proteins. The letters warned that the institutions could be liable for patent infringement unless they obtained a license from Inproteo (The Chronicle, September