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Stem Cell Patent Torpedoes Research
g8orade writes: "This story says the University of Winsconsin owns patents that may prevent anyone spending that federal money soon. "As they carry out President Bush's plan for government financing of embryonic stem cell studies, federal health officials confront a daunting challenge: U.S. patent 6,200,806, a claim to the human embryonic stem cell." Originally in the NYT, this is a link to the not free account-requiring Charlotte Observer."
Additionally, scientists working at the university of Wisconsin were reported as saying, later in the week:
"Since we have a patent on how stem cells may be used, we would advise every person living in the United States to either give us $25,000 or kill themselves, as we never explicitly said which babies could use them and which couldn't. Suck our balls!"
Furthermore, I would like to advise every American male that they are currently in violation of my own patent #2,3443,223 - "Ballzack." And, I must demand immediate licensing payment for posession or use of "Ballzack" or anyone found to be in posession of "Ballzack" will have it seized. I will begin grabbing everyone's "Ballzack" upon non-payment beginning on the first of September.
"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
I haave something on the order of 50 million pieces of evidence, and I encourage others to submit theirs, too. There is a high likelyhood that stem cells can be found in my fat tissue, skin, heart, brain tissue, and at various other places throughout my body. Since circumstances cleary show that I must have had these for nearly three decades, I don't see how this patent is valid. As a matter of fact, if I had had the foresight to patent them myself, back in '74, my patent would have already expired.
I've spent a great deal of my life developing and growing these stem cells, often at great nutritional cost to myself, and I would be apalled if the USPTO granted exclusive rights to some snotty little thief who thinks that they can just steal it out from under me.