Rather than patenting every conceivable variant, the company claims jurisdiction over isolated DNA sequences, 15 base pairs long, that match short parts of the genes.
Later, more established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch.
Meanwhile, the country's biggest car maker, Volvo, invented the industry-changing 3-point safety belt, giving up the patent so any automaker could use it in their vehicles.