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Patent Update: Patentable Invention or Mere Optimization

Patent Update

March

2019

M. Henry Heines

Chemical engineers often adjust process parameters to improve the conversion, yield, or product purity of a chemical reaction. But, when is improvement to a known reaction enough to qualify for a patent? The recent decision in E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) v. Synvina C.V. answers this question.

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Patent Update: Patentable Invention or Mere Optimization

Chemical engineers often adjust process parameters to improve the conversion, yield, or product purity of a chemical reaction. But, when is improvement to a known reaction enough to qualify for a patent? The recent decision in E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) v....

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