Limits on Utility in the Face of 21st Century Invention: The Problem with Limiting Patent Claims on EST Sequences

I.Requirements for Patentability ........................................................................... 211 II.Molecular Genetics ............................................................................................ 213 III.Chakrabarty and a Composition of Matter ...................................................... 214 IV.In re Fisher Narrows the Definition of Utility Regarding EST Sequences. .... 217 A. Brenner Restricts Utility to Specific and Substantial Utility ............. 219 B. Specific Utility .................................................................................. 221 C. Substantial Utility .............................................................................. 222 D. The Brenner Court Concerns ............................................................. 224 E. Research Tools .................................................................................. 225 V.Solutions for EST utility: Non-obviousness ...................................................... 227 A. The Fisher Patent is Obvious: ........................................................... 230 1. The Scope and Content of the Prior Art ...................................... 231 2. Differences Between the Prior Art and the Claims at Issue ........ 231 3. The Level of Ordinary Skill in the Pertinent Art ........................ 232 4. Secondary Considerations ........................................................... 232 VI.Effects of the Fisher Limitation ....................................................................... 233 VII.Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 234