Genentech filed and received allowance of Israel Patent Number 175885 titled “ANTIBODY, A FRAGMENT THEREOF, A METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME AND A USE OF THE ANTIBODY”. the patent issued on 29 May 2011 and was next due to be renewed on 17 December 2014.
On 24 April 2013, Genentech requested to withdraw the patent. Actually, the claim this was their second attempt to withdraw the patent, having first asked to do so on 21 March 2013.
Patentees are able to request that a valid patent be withdrawn, and the effect of so doing is as if the patent had never issued. The request has published for opposition purposes.
COMMENT
I wonder what is going on here?
