On Wednesday, 10X Genomics, Inc. filed a complaint in the District of Delaware against Parse Biosciences, Inc. and the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford) alleging patent infringement.
According to the complaint, 10x Genomics, Inc. is a Delaware corporation and a pioneering innovator and worldwide leader of genomics and sequencing technologies that are providing life science researchers an unprecedented understanding of biology. Further, 10x has developed and brought to market award-winning products that give single-cell and spatial views of complex biological systems backed by three patents it owns and three patents that it has an exclusive license for.
The complaint also states that Stanford is the owner of the three patents in which 10x is the exclusive licensee and enables its single cell technologies which enable researchers to analyze samples on a single cell basis.
The complaint purports that Parse is a Delaware corporation and a single-cell genomics company. The complaint alleges that Parse “has made clear that it intends nothing less than to copy 10x’s complete lineup of single-cell products wholesale” and that Parse is infringing on the six patents in-suit owned by 10x.
10x states that Parse currently sells a single-cell gene expression product called Evercode Whole Transcriptome and plans to release additional products relying on 10x’s and Stanford’s patents. Particularly, 10x alleges that Parse copied its single-cell, dual-tagging technology to identify the cell and the polynucleotide within that cell despite being aware of 10x’s patents on the technology.
Accordingly, 10x initiated the present lawsuit seeking to join Stanford as a party to the lawsuit as the owner and licensor of three of the patents in-suit in accordance with the terms of its exclusive license agreement. Further, 10x seeks declaratory and injunctive relief along with damages, attorney’s fees and costs for Parse’s alleged infringement of the six patents in-suit. 10x is represented by Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP.
