Getting a patent denied isnt a fail. It's very hard to get a patent when everything you are doing is patented or natural. If you actually tried to write a patent you will find a single word can get it rejected.
What can he actually patent? Silk cant be patented. The genes used are already part of a patent. The process is 4000 years old. As far as I can tell there is nothing he can patent. But as long as he continues filing he can say its "patent pending" and he may actually find a path to get a patent.
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