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Aurora Cannabis announces settlement of patent litigation

(CNW) Edmonton — Aurora Cannabis Inc., the Canadian company opening the world to cannabis, today announced the company and WILLOW BIOSCIENCES, INC. (Willow) have successfully completed a confidential settlement ‎resolving the ongoing patent litigation between the two parties in Canada.

“We are pleased with the negotiated settlement, which provides Aurora a favourable resolution that ensures our Canadian cannabis related patent rights are respected,” says Miguel Martin, chief executive officer of Aurora. “Aurora is a pioneer in terms of the company’s genetics work in the Canadian cannabis industry and will not hesitate to continue to take the steps necessary, including legal action, to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights when necessary.”

Aurora commenced a patent infringement action in July 2021, alleging that Willow’s biosynthetic process for synthesizing cannabinoids infringed Aurora’s exclusive rights to patents co-owned by the University of Saskatchewan and the National Research Council (NRC). The technology of the asserted patents was invented by Anandia co-founder and former Chief Science Officer at Aurora, Jonathan Page and his colleagues, following their work at the University of Saskatchewan and the NRC, identifying key enzymes and corresponding genes in the biosynthetic pathways of cannabis plants.

In December 2022, Willow announced that it had consolidated its R&D operations, transferring equipment and key personnel from its Canadian facilities to Mountain View, California.

Aurora continues to advance the company’s leadership in genomic research and novel innovation that will differentiate the company’s position as a global leader.