The two biggest players in mRNA vaccine development, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, saw the détente between the companies that lasted through the most dire parts of the COVID-19 pandemic end when Moderna claiming patent infringement in court in August. The suit brought against Pfizer-BioNTech does not seek damages prior to March of 2022, but it does represent a clear signal the companies are seeking to commercialize their vaccine technology. With extensive research and scholarship in the field of intellectual property, Professor Jacob Sherkow was an in-demand expert for many news outlets seeking to provide an understanding of the conflict between the pharmaceutical and biotechnology giants. Sherkow provided his knowledge of the legal basis for the lawsuits in Massachusetts and Germany to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, health and medicine news outlet Stat, bioscience and technology news source Endpoints, and Mexican newspaper El Universal; he also shared his understanding on the radio with San Francisco's KCBS.