After Two Patent Infringement Suits from Illumina, BGI Sues back

On May 28, Complete Genomics, a company subject to MGI (a subsidiary of BGI) filed a patent infringement suit at the United States District Court for the District of Delaware against Illumina, the largest DNA sequencing manufacturer.

MGI declared that many DNA sequencing devices and reagents manufactured by Illumina, which include the NovaSeq 6000, NextSeq and MiniSeq, infringed its U.S. No.9,222,132 patent (132 patent). This patent, which involves MGI’s proprietary two-color sequencing technology, is key to the firm's DNBSQTM sequencing technology.

MGI’s action is considered a strike-back since Illumina has filed two infringement suits in March and May against subsidiary companys of BGI.

In March, Illumina sued Latvia MGI Tech at District Court of Düsseldorf in Germany for alleged patent infringement.

On May 15, Illumina filed another patent infringement suit against BGI Europe at Maritime and Commercial Court of Denmark.

Both patents involved were applied in 2003 and there were still some years left before the patents expire.

MGI, a subsidiary of global genomics leader BGI Group, was founded in April, 2016. It’s worth noting that before the research and development of its own DNA sequencing devices, BGI had cooperated with Illumina for many yeaes. In 2010, BGI purchased 128 HiSeq 2000 sequencing devices from Illumina at a price of over USD ten million and thus became its largest customer.

However, Illumina began to sell reagents and sign warranty contracts at higher prices for BGI in 2012, which had become the largest DNA sequencing service provider by then.

On May 9, 2019, MGI revealed that its IPO was over USD 200 million. Its income compound growth rate in the past three years exceeded 200%, accounting for about one third of China’s total DNA sequencing market share. Until today, its global installation has exceeded 1100 units, covering 16 countries and regions with over 300 users.

By now MGI has invested over 5 billion Yuan in research and development, applied for more than 580 technological patents, 80 out of which are PCT patents. MGI eventually developed its own core technology called DNBSEQTM.

Founded in 1998 in the US, Illumina is definitely the oligarch of global DNA sequencing equipment. Statistics showed that the installed capacity of its equipment in the global market reached 11,000 units, and the MiSeq series approved in China is the most widely used product.

June 16, 2019

Source: ThePaper.cn