Context: In December 2024, Promosome LLC, an exclusive licensee of The Scripps Research Institute, sued BioNTech and Pfizer entities at the UPC Munich Local Division (LD) over the infringement of EP2401365 (“Reengineering mrna primary structure for enhanced protein production”). The suit alleged that the manufacturing process behind Comirnaty infringes this method for boosting full-length protein expression by mutating so-called secondary start codons that would otherwise divert ribosomes away from the intended starting point on the mRNA. ip fray previously reported on a related jurisdictional skirmish in this case, in which Judge-rapporteur András Kupecz declined to rule early on a preliminary objection over pre-UPC damages (April 18, 2025 ip fray UPC Roundup section 2).
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Court and counsel
Panel 2 of the Munich LD: Presiding Judge Dr. Daniel Voß, Judge Dr. Georg Werner, Judge-rapporteur András Kupecz, and Technically Qualified Judge Dr. Martin Schmidt.
Counsel for Promosome and Scripps: Georg A. Rauh of Vossius & Partner Patentanwälte Rechtsanwälte mbB.
Counsel for BioNTech: Christine Kanz of HOYNG ROKH MONEGIER.
Counsel for Pfizer: Dr. Tobias J. Hessel of Clifford Chance.