Free Memorandum in Opposition to Motion - District Court of Connecticut - Connecticut

Case 3:00-cv-00705-CFD Document 137-4 Filed 03/11/2005 Page 1 of 3
•’_ 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
2_ DISTRICT ‘OF CONNECTICUT
3 -—--—-----—-— - - — x
4 In Re: : H _
U 5 PE Corporation : Master File No.
0 Securities Litigation : 3:00CV-705 (CFD) I
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E 8 l i E
‘ 9 Videotaped deposition of DR. J. CRAIG VENTER, held - {
10 at the Venter Institute, 9704 Medical Center Drive, i_
l 11 4th Floor, Rockville, Maryland, commencing at 10:08 0
12 a.m,, Wednesday, October 13, 2004, before Elizabeth
;_ 13 Mingione, Notary Public.
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SPHERION DEPOSITION SERVICES W
(212) 490-3430

Case 3:00-cv-007045-CFD Document 1.37-4 Filed O3/11/2005 ·· Page 2 of 3. .
1.*.-.4 -- 1 APPEARANCESjOF COUNSEL: -1 _ l . 4 . _Q ‘ T
` 2 a ' - ` ‘ 2_. ‘ CON_TEN·7I`S4··_`_‘·— ·
¤~ _ _ 3 ONBEHALFOFII-IEPLAINTI1*'I·`S: ‘ ` 3 WITNESS: DR. LCRAIGVENTER 4 4 4 ·
I . . 4 `_ I ` 4 ‘ . 4 EXAMINATION BY:_ `. · 4 PAGE . Ty _
` T1 .’ 4 5 LEEA. WEISS, ESQUIRE I 4 · 5 Mr. Weiss ........ ...... 2...;.. ..... . 8' · ‘ _ 4 `
· -if I _6 SANFORDP.DUMAII~I,ESQlIH{E _ 6 g _4 ._ ._ 4 . _·
4 " ,g=§g:f _ _ 7 ` _ CARLOS E. ESQUIRE 7 _ DEPOSITION ‘ ' . ' , `
` ' I S8 ' WEISS 4 8` 4 DR. 1. CRAIG·VENTER44,_· _* · Q _· 4 · I '
`'.` I `9 · One Pennsylvania Plaza 9 NUMBER DESCRIPTION} I - _ PAGE V · ·
W @4 .4° I 10 .NewYork,NewYork 10119 ` - 10 . " _ ` . __ `4 `4
‘ I 11 (212) 594-5300 · . ·1l 1 E-Mail DafedO¤t01$e1‘3Q 19991:0 ..;.1422 ' · ‘ 4·
** 5. I .12 . · Y ·_ . ‘ 12 . 4`F1ancis·Collins From Bob Waterstoxr .4 · 4
. I 14 · I I I ' 14 2 E-Mai1`Dated October 11, I999:&om;.52 4 I
I 15 ONBEHALF OF CRAIG VENTER, DEPONENT:4 15 ‘ Pau1Gi1ma¤to—(ZraigVeutcr `· ·- I ` _' A4 I
· 16 · '16 ·· ' . _ . .. `·
‘Z> "?<4j'f‘.?i n ` [17 PAUL B. GAFFNEY,ESQUIRE ‘ 17 3 E·Mai1 Dated October 14, 1999 Rom .60. 4 ` ` I
_` ,4-.4.; 4 4 ‘ » 18 W[LLIAMS&CONNOLLY,LL1} ‘ 18. _.4MariaFreire to DavjdLipman_· . ‘_ .- J I
- 19 · 725 12thStg1‘eet,N.W. · . . · —.19_ , · . I ’ ._ ·
I 20 washington, nc; 20005 ~ 20 4 ‘ 12-111211 Datec November5, 1999 rr-om .65 · 1 I
_` " 21 _ (202) 434-5000 ·_ .· 4- . . . 21 ,4Cmig Venter-to‘Pau1 4.f. 4'_ i _
_ I 23 · ` ` 4 ` 4 23 5 ·E-Mai1‘Correspondence Dated · ........ 74‘ 4 " I _ g
' 4 I 24 A 4 · I ·-24 November=12, 1999 ’1i·omErie·La¤dcr I Y A _
- *3. I 25 ‘ 4 · 25 toFrar1cis Co11ir1s_' 4 ._ 4. ‘ 4 _·
. g? :1:4 1 ONBEHAI.FOFTEIEDEEENDANTS:_ 1 I ‘ ‘ ·- I. . _ . 4 I ‘ · :
``.·` 2 ’ .· . . K ‘2 NUMBER. _ DESCRIPTION, '· ° ‘· (PAGE, I 4 4- -
··3 ROBERTA.BOURQUE,ESQUIRE` -. 3 . · . ‘ -4 4 _. ‘ I ·
.~,_ _f .4 LAURA D. MURPHY, ESQUIRE` ` 4 ‘6 E-Mail Correspondence Dated‘ ...... i. 76 i ‘f` 4
" J 5 WH..LIAMREGAN,ESQU1RE 5 . November 14,1999 fr0mFraucis · T 4 I
° ' I ' 6 SINEPSON, 'I`HACHER&BARTLE'ITT, LLP 64 C011ins-to Harold `Varmus _ 4 · ` _ R .4 .· Z
· 7. 425 LcxingtopAvem1e 4 _ 7 · ' _ I . _ 4 J4 ` `_ Y _
‘ P - 8 . New York., New York 10017-3954 ° ‘ 8 ‘7 Letter Dated November 17, 1999 ..... 804. · }
.9 ‘ (212) 455-3595_ 9 from!. Craig Venterto . . ` A . Y 4. . · .
V 10 _ A - I · 10, Dr. Francis Collins. · 4 · _ . .4· _
44_44:.44_4_ 4 12 ‘ 12 8 . E·Ma.i1 Dated NOVe1i1ber`19, 1999 ..... 84 » ` ‘ ,_ ‘
4 13 · A L s 0 1> 11 12 s E N T ‘ 13 - _&¤mJ.cmig·ve¤:¤1·1¤F1—1¤¤1; ._ . .. _ __
4 14 4 Rick Sanborn, Videographer _ l 14 Collins- . 4 1 I _ -_ . 4 . ' *.4
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yf;:{f§>ifY:§ 416 4 l ` `. . I ‘- 16 9 E·Mai1.to·F1anp:is C0111ns,'Re: . .... 864 ·
'. ':.` · 17 . 4 . . __ _, · ‘ _ 17 . Stat\1SRap0t‘t.’ , -_‘ " _- I _
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Pia- ` l . 1.9 _ A F n - · 19 10 .E—Mai1 Dated December 23, 1999 .... ; 88-; · . .
I _ 20 I .; "` v 20 fromFrancis Co1lins· 4· "
44) ` ‘ 21 ‘4 " 21 l` - _ 44 ,4 ` ._ .·4 ._
22 ` 2 . 4 ‘ 22 11 E-Mail Correspondence Dated ..... L. 99. f l
. 23 ‘ . · . 224 December 29, 1999 4 . .- _-
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" _ — ‘ SPHERION DEPOSITION SERVICES _ .· '_ I Q
144 4 . _ _ (212) 490-3430* _ ·· . 4 I

Case 3 :00-cv-00705-CFD Document 137-4 Filed 03/1 1/2005 Page 3 of 3
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1 · Q. And how long after you joined the 1 get -- have intellectual property on a few hundred .
I 2 corporation did that first occur? · 4 2 human genes. · '
r Z- 3 A. I think it first occurred before I 3 Q. Was that a position you presented to the _ `
A · " 4 joined the organization · 4 board?
: 5 Q. And what were the components of that- 5 A. Yes. .
6 business plan when you first presented it to the PE _ 6 Q. What was the board's response to that .
7 . Corporation board? . 7 position? _
I 8 A. The principal tendered that the data. . ` I 8 A. They approved the strategy. . 1 ·
9 would be given away once we sequenced the genome. · 9 Q. Was there anyone on the board who `
10 ’I`he initial plan was to give it away quarterly into ' 10 questioned that strategy atthat time? '· _ ` 4 ‘
I ll the public databases, and that the business would 11 A. There was certainly discussion. I ·don't . r
12 be based on developing bio informatic tools, 12 remember, if you mean by, you know, questioning, `
13 computational tools for the interpretation and . 13 objecting to it, no, not to my knowledge. 4
14 analysis of the genome to a small extent on 14 Q. Were alternatives, were alternative · ` .
; 15 intellectual property from unique genes that would 15 intellectual property strategies discussed at the I
.4 » · 16 have medical importance. · ` · . 16 board level? I
” l 417 Q. Did you indicate who the projected 17 A. ‘ During which period? I
} 18 customers of — for these products would be? - 18 -_ Q. During the period tight when you joined · I
19 A. It was always assumed that-itwouldbe 19 the corporation?
20 the pharmaceutical indusuy, thebiotech industry 20. A. Not that I recall. _ I
I 21 andacademic researchers arormd the world. · · 21 Q. Were altemative discussions subsequent ;
22 ‘ Q. Did the board have any comments when you 22 to when you first joined the company? .
r 23 first presented the business plan? » ' "23 A. They were discussed at the board member T
24 A l‘rn sure they did. 24 -- the board level. I don't think there was any ·
i 25 Q. Do you recall any of their comments? 25 specific discussion driven by board members other ;
__ . ..,.,4 z 23 _ zi L
LY};-{jp) 1 A. I don't recall comments &om the first 1 , than the chairman. E
` 2 presentations. No. ‘ 2 Q. What alternatives were ultimately _
3 Q. At any time did the board have comments ` 3 discussed at the board level? _. · ·
4 re - regarding your intellectual property 4 A. Whether to patent a greater number of _ j
` 5 strategy? ' 5 genes than Ihad proposed. 4 r
6 A. What do you mean by any time? 6 Q. Who raised that issue at the board . _'
V _ 7 _ Q. .At any time while you were at"PE A ~ 7 _level? "
I 8 Corporation? _ `A . ‘ 8 A. The chairman raised the issue at the _
A · 9 A. I don't think anything was raised by the 9 board level. ' , ‘
10 board. There were certainly discussions _at the i ‘ 10 Q. And that would be Mr. White? .
ll board level . · ll A. Yes. . . -
_l2 Q; What specific discussions were had · 12 . _Q. And did Mr. White offer any reasons as
_ _ 13 regarding intellectual property strategy at the· ` 13 to why the board should discuss whether td patent
I A ‘ 14 board level with respect to the sequencing ofthe _ 14 the greater-number of genes? _ A ·
g 15 human genome, the data derived from that? _ _ 15 A. I'm sure he did. I think the reasons ·
4 16 MR. BOURQUE: Objecdon. _ 16 were ultimately based on the head patent attomey
17 A. It really depends on when you are _ C17 at Celera wanting to patent a greater number of
18 talking about. There was not a consistent . 18 genes. · .
19 discussion ` · - 19 QQ And that was Mr. Millman? -
20 Q; When you tirst joined Perkin—E1mer 20 · ‘A. Yes. _ ‘ “ ‘
»=· 21 Corporation, what discussions were had with the 21 Q. ` _Did Mr. Millman ever make a presentation
A 22 board regarding intellectual property strategy . 22 to the board regarding patenting a greater number _
23 regarding the sequencing of the human genome? A 23 of genes? l -
24 A. Well, we were absolutely not going to 24 A. I think he did. Yes.
25 ·’ patent the human genome. And at best we would 25 Q. Were you present for that presentation?
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