Grace is claiming patents for products derived from the natural oils of neem, an evergreen tree, which are used locally for insecticides, contraceptives and soap.

Increasingly, China's pharmaceutical companies are rushing to claim patents for their copies before foreign patent owners can assert their rights.

TechnoConcepts, which claims patents to valuable wireless technology, has never made a profit, according to its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company has claimed several trademarks and patents for the name and technology applied to their products.

He is known for claiming patents on a spinning jenny, a carding machine, the throstle (a machine for the continuous twisting and winding of wool), and the water frame .

As the hearing ended, Harkin expressed alarm that biotech companies were claiming licenses and patents to human stem cells.

This complaint follows multiple suits filed by Nokia in recent months, all of which concern Apple's use of various technologies that Nokia claims patents on.

Among other things, it claims "basic" patents in the following: * Liquid crystal displays, for virtually any digital readout found in a watch, electronic calculator, consumer appliance or automobile dashboard.

These are not, as the demagogues have claimed, patents on life but rather patents for life.

This is a highly competitive area and a number of people claim patents in the field, most notably Inverness Medical Innovations who own patents originally filed by Unipath.