Canadian licensed producer Aurora Cannabis has reached a settlement with Willow Biosciences over an ongoing patent litigation.
The settlement is confidential, according to Aurora, so few details are public.
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Aurora said it commenced the patent infringement action in July 2021.
The Alberta-based producer alleged that Willow’s biosynthetic process for synthesizing cannabinoids had infringed on Aurora’s patents, which are co-owned with the University of Saskatchewan and Canada’s National Research Council (NRC).
Aurora said the technology of the patents was invented by Jonathan Page, Anandia Labs co-founder and former chief science officer at Aurora, and his colleagues. The technology followed their work at the University of Saskatchewan and the NRC.
That research identified key enzymes and corresponding genes in the biosynthetic pathways of cannabis plants.
Aurora bought Anandia in 2018 in an all-stock deal valued at the time at roughly 115 million Canadian dollars ($85 million).
Aurora closed Anandia last year.
“We are pleased with the negotiated settlement, which provides Aurora a favorable resolution that ensures our Canadian cannabis related patent rights are respected,” Aurora CEO Miguel Martin said in a statement.
“Aurora is a pioneer in terms of the company’s genetics work in the Canadian cannabis industry and will not hesitate to continue to take the steps necessary, including legal action, to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights when necessary.”
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In 2022, Willow announced that it had consolidated its R&D operations and was transferring equipment and key personnel from its Canadian facilities to Mountain View, California.
