WASHINGTON—More than four months after researchers in the United States and France agreed to share credit for the discovery of the AIDS virus, the international foundation, they proposed to help fight the disease has yet to emerge from the necessary paperwork.
The Department of Health and Human Services recently received the signatures of 15 scientists from HHS and the Pasteur Institute that are needed to set up the foundation, said Robert Charrow, HHS deputy general counsel. A request must be filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to amend the patent applications of both countries to reflect joint ownership. Once permission is granted the issue will be scheduled for printing, Charrow said, noting that the process can take up to three months.
“The matters before the Patent Office take time,” Charrow said, “but there’s no controversy. It took a while to collect all the necessary signatures. But now that ...
