§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the United Kingdom patents which have been published since 1 June 1997 in respect of genetically engineered animals and processes for creating such animals. [42273]
§ Mr. BattleThere have been a total of three patent applications under the Patents Act 1997 published since 1 June 1997. Two of these are Patent Co-operation Treaty Applications which have entered the national phase and have been published as applications Nos. GB 2318792 233W and GB 2318578. They relate to the manipulation of animal embryos and the animals produced therefrom. The third, GB 2312899, relates to transgenic animals encoding an agent involved in the regulation of bone marrow. None of these applications has yet been granted. This information does not include applications filed at the European Patent Office and which may have the legal effect of UK patents if granted by that office.