At Peet & Associates, LLC, we empower biotech and pharmaceutical companies to navigate the intricate landscape of intellectual property with confidence and strategic insight.
Led by Dr. Richard Peet with over 30 years of expertise in both molecular biology and patent law, our firm specializes in serving the diverse needs of life sciences companies competing in a global marketplace.
Dr. Peet has real world experience in the field of life sciences. He founded Formulate Biosciences, Inc., a leader in the sustainable and eco-friendly production of natural products using enzyme technology. He is also an inventor on numerous granted patents that protect valuable innovations in the areas of biocatalysis and natural products including prebiotics.
At Peet & Associates, we don’t just protect innovations; we enable pioneering companies to thrive on a global scale.
We offer comprehensive services including:
A representative sample of some of Dr. Peet’s important legal cases in which he made significant contributions include:
Keygene N.V. in Association for MolecularPathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., 569 U.S. 576 (2013)
An amicus brief filed on behalf of Keygene N.V. in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., 569 U.S. 576 (2013) in support of Myriad Genetics. The Supreme Court held that naturally occurring DNA sequences cannot be patented. The Court unanimously ruled that genes and the information they encode are not patent eligible simply because they have been isolated from the surrounding genetic material.
Dr. Peet also assisted Keygene N.V. in securing U.S. patents with claims directed to use of next-generation DNA sequencing to identify genetic variations in plants. Based on these patents, Keygene sued Floragenex for patent infringement resulting in a negotiated settlement in which Floragenex agreed
to pay Keygene royalties for use of the patented technologies.
Unilever
Dr. Peet represented Unilever on intellectual property matters related to the company’s acquisition of Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million and SlimFast for $2.3 billion. The acquisitions, announced on the same day, generated a lot of press. For example, the first paragraph in an article in Food Ingredient Online 3
entitled “Unilever Covers the Bases with Slim-Fast and Ben & Jerry's Acquisitions” reported “Ok, what's it going to be? A dish of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey premium ice cream as I settle into my comfy sofa to watch some after-dinner TV? Or do I skip dinner, toss back an Ultra Slim-Fast French Vanilla shake, throw on my sweats and get down to the gym for that master aerobics class? Hmmm…tough choice. But either way, Unilever wins.”
Monsanto (1996)
In 1996 Monsanto paid $150 million to purchase Agracetus and its patents broad claims to transgenic cotton plants. In 2000, Dr. Peet played a critical role in assisting Aventis Cropscience and Dr. Norma Trolinder in their lawsuit against Monsanto in which Dr. Trolinder was successfully added as an
inventor to the transgenic cotton patents. Dr. Trolinder assigned her ownership rights in the patents to Aventis Cropscience. As a result, Aventis Cropscience co-owned the transgenic cotton patents with Monsanto and had freedom-to-operate to sell transgenic cotton seeds. In 2001 Bayer paid approximately €7.25 billion to acquire Aventis Cropscience, in part driven by Aventis’ ability to commercialize transgenic cotton in competition with Monsanto.
Formulate Bioscience, Inc., Co-Founder, Director
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