GlaxoSmithKline is suing Moderna for allegedly using technology patented by GSK in its COVID-19 vaccine. Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of legal fights over who owns the intellectual property behind mRNA technology and whether some companies are entitled to royalties on future sales.

A British drugmaker, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has sued American pharmaceutical company Moderna claiming it violated patent rights in its mRNA technology used to develop its COVID-19 and RSV vaccines.

The pharma’s lawsuit focuses on scientific work that helped clear the path for creating mRNA vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Moderna in Delaware, accusing the company of using its patented mRNA technology in their Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine without permission.

Moderna was hit with a new patent lawsuit on Wednesday in Delaware federal court from Northwestern University, which accused the company of misusing the school's innovations to develop its blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax.