Affimed's strong technology position and product pipeline are protected by a broad portfolio of proprietary patents and license agreements that provide a wide "freedom to operate" in the field of therapeutic antibodies. This position has been confirmed by independent patent attorneys and a recent intensive due diligence process. The patent portfolio has a total of 13 patent families, some of which are the subject of exclusive in-license agreements. Six of these patent families are technology patents of which two patents are dedicated to Affimed's innovative formats. The remaining patents are product patents.
In addition to Affimed's patent portfolio of antibody library technology, format and product patents, the Company has negotiated a broad portfolio of patents with third parties in order to achieve a wide freedom of operation, which has been confirmed by a completely independent firm of patent attorneys.
Patent licensing agreements
Affimed executed a technology license agreement to Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) for generating and screening antibody libraries in May 2003. This was followed by the signing of a royalty-free cross-licensing agreement with Dyax in September 2003 for access to their phage display IP and a cross-licensing agreement with XOMA in September 2006 for access to its recombinant Bacterial Cell Expression (BCE) technology.