No ‘Path to Riches’ in University of California Patent Dispute

The corporation that runs the University of California system can’t be sued for breaching a patent licensing contract involving a company started by one of its researchers, a federal court in Pennsylvania said.

The Regents of the University of California granted RNAmeTRIX Inc. an exclusive license to make, use, and sell products employing patents on saliva-based diagnostic products. RNA then sublicensed the patents to PeriRx Inc. PeriRx later sued the Regents and RNA for breaching the agreement.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Pennsylvania said PeriRx “saw a path to riches” in the licensing agreement. “But like so ...