1.   There are also patents on varieties of seeds and plants, as well as unusual genes and cell lines from indigenous peoples.

2.   Some licences may be purely for know-how where there is no patent involved.

3.   If a patent were to be granted to the second business, it could prevent the first from using what it has already been using for some time.

4.   American patents are now secret until they are issued.

5.   And once issued, patents are subject to annual maintenance fees.

6.   And patents are the way to do that.

7.   And while the patent office has raised its requirements, questions remain about how far-reaching future patents will be.

8.   A ban was imposed by the European Union on shipments of active ingredients used in drugs on which the patents were about to expire.

9.   A counter-suit by Tutuli argues that the patent is invalid and unenforceable, says Jill Pietrini, of the Los Angeles law office of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.

10.   A confidentiality agreement with IBM keeps Nakamatsu from explaining how important his patents are to the development of the floppy disk, he says.