Abstract
It is strange that only extraordinary men make the discoveries, which later
appear so easy and simple.
This chapter outlines the historical development of genetic manipulation, assesses the
aspects that define genome editing technologies as breakthrough technologies and
examines the recent trends in patent litigation. It investigates the ownership and
licensing issues surrounding the revolutionary and highly lucrative CRISPR patents by
focusing on the recent development in patent battles.
Keywords: CRISPR, DNA manipulation, Genome editing technologies, Obviousness test, Patent system, TALEN, ZFN.