Cambridge Antibody - Re Court Proceedings

RNS No 4556w
CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY
25th September 1998

CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY
INITIATES PATENT INFRINGEMENT 
ACTION AGAINST MORPHOSYS

Melbourn, UK. Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc (CAT) announces that it
has commenced a patent infringement action against MorphoSys AG in the
District Court in Munich Germany.

The proceedings ask the Court to, among other things, order MorphoSys to cease
immediately any further infringing activity.

CAT is committed to enforcing its patents where necessary. The action seeks to
stop MorphoSys infringing CAT's patents and does not in any way impact on
CAT's freedom to operate its technology. 

For Further Information Contact:
Cambridge Antibody Technology
David Chiswell, Chief Executive Officer       Tel: [phone]
John Aston, Finance Director

City/Financial Enquiries
Nicola How, HCC.De Facto Financial            Tel: [phone]

Notes 

CAT's patent portfolio originates from a filing by the MRC in 1989. With
subsequent patent filings CAT currently has two main patent families covering
antibody libraries and phage display. The proceedings claim that MorphoSys
infringes two of CAT's patents which underpin its antibody display technology

- Winter et al which covers CAT's antibody gene expression libraries and
McCafferty et al which covers CAT's phage display of antibody fragments.

CAT's Winter patent and McCafferty patent have both been granted in Europe
(9 April 1994 and 13 November 1996 respectively). Both are currently in
Opposition proceedings with the European Patent Office. MorphoSys AG has
opposed both patents. 

In the US CAT has filed broadly similar patent applications with the United
States Patent Office. The McCafferty patent is under examination. The Winter
patent application is the senior applicant in an interference action within
the US Patent Office which involves other US applications. MorphoSys is not
involved in the US proceedings.

END

MSCPBUWGBBGRGMC