WILMINGTON, Del., Apr. 10, 2012 -- Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, commented on the lawsuit filed by Gevo today alleging patent infringement.
“Certain innovative technology is critical for commercial production of isobutanol. This is especially true for the fundamental biosynthetic pathway claimed in our ‘188, ‘889 and related patents filed by Butamax several years ago,” said Paul Beckwith, Butamax CEO. “However, it is our view that the obvious modifications claimed in this recent Gevo patent, reliant on the fundamental pathway, are in fact not critical for our commercialization strategy.”
The Butamax patents which are the subject of a lawsuit filed by Butamax against Gevo cover microorganisms which have been engineered to express the required enzymes for isobutanol production, methods of using these microorganisms as well as techniques for recovering isobutanol. Accordingly, these patents cover fundamental steps for commercial production. The trial date for the Butamax lawsuit is scheduled for April 2013.
About Butamax
Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC was formed to develop and commercialize biobutanol as a next generation renewable biofuel for the transport market. The company benefits from the synergy of DuPont’s proven industrial biotechnology experience and BP’s global fuels market knowledge. Butamax’s proprietary technology offers a cost-advantaged manufacturing process for isobutanol with value from field to pump. For more information, visit www.butamax.com.
