The ACLU filed the lawsuit against Myriad and the U.S. Patent Office nearly a year ago over their BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene patents. In March, a Federal court ruled that Myriad's patents linked to breast and ovarian cancer are invalid. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Sweet invalidated seven Myriad patents covering mutations related to these cancers on the basis that they were "improperly granted" because they involve a "law of nature".
One of the ACLU's staff attorneys, Bryan Roberts, said "the human genome, like the structure of blood, air or water, was discovered not created... gene patents put up unacceptable barriers to the free exchange of ideas."
Click here to read the Landmark Ruling in the Myriad Case
