The Fraud-Tainted Cloning Patent: Scandalous in Theory, a Storm in a Teacup in Reality

A patent on cloning human stem cells was issued recently by the U.S. Patent Office to a disgraced scientist who had admitted to fabricating his results. Despite appearances, however, the issuance of this patent is not a glaring mistake on the part of the USPTO, nor is it certain that the patent was obtained by fraud or should be held invalid. As long as the inventor was scrupulously honest in his dealings with the USPTO, he may be entitled to the monopoly rights granted to him.