Supreme Court: Scientists Can't Patent Naturally Occurring DNA

Scientists can't patent naturally occurring DNA, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a crucial case that will define the legal limits of the emerging biotech industry. However, the court decided that patents can be filed for synthetically created DNA, or cDNA.

The Supreme Court's decision is rooted in a long-upheld bedrock of American patent law: naturally occurring phenomena cannot be patented.

"...we hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated, but that cDNA is patent eligible because it is not naturally occurring," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the court's unanimous decision.