Defendant
1 case as defendant.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a private, non-profit research and educational institution founded in 1890. Headquartered in Laurel Hollow, New York, on Long Island, CSHL operates as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS. The institution employs approximately 1,000 to 1,200 people, including over 600 scientists, students, and technicians. As of 2024, CSHL reported total revenues of approximately $232.7 million.
CSHL is a preeminent international center for biomedical research and education, focusing on core areas such as cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, and quantitative biology. Beyond conducting fundamental scientific research, CSHL encompasses the School of Biological Sciences, a graduate program offering PhD degrees, and hosts numerous scientific conferences and courses annually. The institution also operates the DNA Learning Center (DNALC), providing hands-on genetics education for K-12 students and teachers, and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, which publishes scientific journals, books, and online resources, including the preprint server bioRxiv.
In terms of patent litigation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory appears as a defendant in one tracked case, with no recorded instances as a plaintiff. This single case, "Unified Patents v. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory," is being litigated before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
This litigation posture indicates that CSHL primarily acts as an operating entity that holds patents, rather than a patent assertion entity. The challenge by Unified Patents, an organization dedicated to deterring non-practicing entity (NPE) assertions by contesting patent validity, suggests CSHL is defending its intellectual property, likely stemming from its extensive research and discoveries. The case at the PTAB is consistent with Unified Patents' strategy of using inter partes reviews (IPRs) to challenge patents.
This is a PTAB case initiated by Unified Patents, as the petitioner, against Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, concerning the validity of US patent 10947589. The case was not instituted on its merits.