Geron Settles Patent Dispute Over Cloning

Geron Corp. and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. agreed to settle a patent dispute over a pioneering cloning technology that led to the creation of Dolly the sheep.

Advanced Cell and the University of Massachusetts agreed to end their appeal and give up certain patents for animal cloning technology while keeping rights to a cloning method for human use, Advanced Cell said.

Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron keeps the rights to use the technology in animal cloning. It gained the rights in 1999 when it acquired Roslin Bio-Med, a company formed by the Roslin Institute of Midlothian, Scotland.