An empty vial of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine seen next to... Photo by Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Pfizer and BioNTech are being sued by Moderna over alleged patent violations.

The CEO of Moderna said in a statement that they are filing lawsuits to protect the innovative mRNA technology platform that they pioneered, invested billions of dollars in creating, and patented.

Moderna will not enforce its patents during the Pandemic in 2020. The company doesn't plan to enforce patents in low- and middle-income countries. Pfizer and BioNTech are coming after it. Moderna refrained from asserting its patents earlier so as not to distract from efforts to bring the epidemic to an end.

Moderna said that it isn't looking to remove the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine from the market. Shannon Klinger, Moderna's chief legal officer, said in the statement: "Moderna expects Pfizer and BioNTech to compensate us for Comirnaty's continued use of Moderna's patented technologies."

It isn't asking for damages from vaccine sold to the US government. The US will no longer pay for COVID-19 vaccines and they will be sold through normal commercial pathways.

Moderna and Pfizer/ BioNTech both developed vaccines. The coronaviruses genetic material is introduced to the body through shots.

Moderna accused Pfizer and BioNTech of copying two elements of their vaccine. There is a chemical modification to the vaccine that prevents the body from attacking it before it can work in the body.

The part of the coronaviruses that the vaccines train the body to recognize is the part that allows it to enter human cells. Moderna said in its legal filing that it has patents over vaccines that are based on research on the coronaviruses.

Pfizer and BioNTech have been sued for patent violations. Moderna is being sued by two companies over the method for packaging up the messenger RNA. Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna are being sued by Alnylam.

The person is developing.