DSM IP Assets BV & Anor v Algal Omega 3 Limited & Anor
| Court | Chancery Division (Patents Court) |
| Judge | Mr Justice Mellor |
| Judgment Date | 20 March 2025 |
| Neutral Citation | [2025] EWHC 675 (Pat) |
| Date | 20 March 2025 |
| Year | 2025 |
| Counsel | James Abrahams Kc,Kyra Nezami,Adrian Speck Kc,James Whyte |
Neutral Citation Number: [2025] EWHC 675 (Pat)
Case No: HP-2023-000001
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
BUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND AND WALES
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LIST (ChD)
PATENTS COURT
Royal Courts of Justice, Rolls Building
Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1NL
Date: 20 March 2025
Before :
THE HON MR JUSTICE MELLOR
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Between :
(1) DSM IP ASSETS B.V.
(2) DSM NUTRITIONAL PRODUCTS AG
Claimants
- and -
(1) ALGAL OMEGA 3 LIMITED
(2) MARA RENEWABLES CORPORATION
Defendants
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
James Abrahams KC and Kyra Nezami (instructed by Powell Gilbert LLP) for the
Claimants
Adrian Speck KC and James Whyte (instructed by Bristows LLP) for the Defendants
Hearing dates: 1st-3rd, 7th-9th, 15th-17th October 2024
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Approved Judgment
This judgment was handed down remotely at 10.30am on 20 March 2025 by circulation to the
parties or their representatives by e-mail and by release to the National Archives.
.............................
THE HON MR JUSTICE MELLOR
THE HON MR JUSTICE MELLOR
Approved Judgment
DSM v Mara
2
Mr Justice Mellor :
This Judgment is organised as follows:
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 5
THE WITNESSES ................................................................................................................. 7
THE SKILLED TEAM ........................................................................................................ 10
THE COMMON GENERAL KNOWLEDGE .................................................................... 13
Sources of CGK ........................................................................................................... 13
The Statement of Agreed CGK .................................................................................... 14
Definitions.................................................................................................................... 15
Statement of Agreed EP 155 CGK ................................................................................... 16
Lipids ........................................................................................................................... 16
Structure of fatty acids ................................................................................................. 16
Phospholipids ............................................................................................................... 17
Triacylglycerides.......................................................................................................... 18
Nomenclature ............................................................................................................... 19
FAME analysis (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Analysis) ................................................... 19
Synthesis of lipids ........................................................................................................ 19
Fatty acid research and health ...................................................................................... 20
Fish oils as a source of essential fatty acids ................................................................. 21
Increasing PUFA content in fish oils ........................................................................... 21
Microorganisms as a source of essential fatty acids .................................................... 22
Microbial oils at the EP 155 Priority Date ................................................................... 23
Crypthecodinium cohnii oils ........................................................................................ 26
Thraustochytrid oils ..................................................................................................... 26
Culture Collections ...................................................................................................... 27
Overview of microbial oil production process............................................................. 27
The FRIOLEX Process ................................................................................................ 31
Purification to a refined oil .......................................................................................... 32
Oil quality and oxidation ............................................................................................. 34
Schizochytrium ............................................................................................................ 34
CGK Disputes regarding 3 May 2002 .................................................................................. 35
The composition of Schizochytrium cell walls (EP 155 Priority Date – 3 May 2002)35
Lysis/disruption (EP 155 Priority Date – 3 May 2002) ............................................... 37
DSM’s mindset arguments ............................................................................................... 41
EP155 ...................................................................................................................................... 42
The issue ........................................................................................................................... 42
THE HON MR JUSTICE MELLOR
Approved Judgment
DSM v Mara
3
Prior art to EP155 – Bijl ................................................................................................... 42
What does Bijl disclose to the Skilled Team? .................................................................. 42
EP155 - Disclosure ........................................................................................................... 48
The Examples............................................................................................................... 51
Claim 1 of EP155 ......................................................................................................... 52
The role of Sufficiency ................................................................................................ 53
Obviousness of EP155 over Bijl .......................................................................................... 54
What would the Skilled Team do, having read and considered Bijl? ............................... 57
My conclusions on Bijl ..................................................................................................... 58
EP740 ...................................................................................................................................... 66
Summary of DSM’s overall position ........................................................................... 66
Summary of the issues raised by Mara’s case ............................................................. 67
Introduction to the issues .................................................................................................. 68
Agreed additional CGK for EP 740 .................................................................................. 69
CGK disputes relating to EP740 ....................................................................................... 70
Properties of various oils (EP 740 Priority Date – 19 March 2009) ............................ 70
Refinement / enrichment (EP 740 Priority Date – 19 March 2009) ............................ 70
Fabritius - Disclosure........................................................................................................ 70
Disclosure of EP740 ............................................................................................................. 73
The proposed Amended Claims ....................................................................................... 78
Applicable legal principles ................................................................................................... 79
Attempt 1 ..................................................................................................................... 83
Attempt 2 ..................................................................................................................... 85
Attempt 3 ..................................................................................................................... 87
Inventive Step/Obviousness of claim 1B over Fabritius .................................................. 89
Mara’s argument .......................................................................................................... 89
DSM’s argument .......................................................................................................... 90
Legal context: technical effect ..................................................................................... 90
What technical effect does the invention have over Fabritius? ................................... 91
Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 94
AMENDMENT .................................................................................................................... 95
Not clear and concise ........................................................................................................ 95
Law .............................................................................................................................. 95
Application to this case ................................................................................................ 97
‘from at least 55% to 65%’ .......................................................................................... 98
Thraustochytrids .......................................................................................................... 98
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