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Cancer Mouse Not Patentable in Canada
Proaxiom writes "The Globe and Mail is reporting the Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that OncoMouse, the so-called 'Harvard Mouse' that is especially prone to cancer, cannot be patented under Canadian law. The hapless rodent still enjoys patent protection in the U.S., Japan and much of Europe. So there is at least one place where higher life forms cannot be patented, but I am not familiar enough with the intricacies of international intellectual property treaties to figure out the consequences of the discrepancy. I'm sure countless IANAL's will be willing to offer opinions."
So there is at least one place where higher life forms cannot be patented
Mainly because there are no higher forms of life there.
Sorry, had to say it, but I actually love Canada.
Do they have to pay a royalty?
"Congratulations, it's a boy! That'll be $1.50."
Does this mean we can all move to Canada and have a bunch of sickly mouse pets to play with? Oh what joy. ;>
--==-- I've found Karma to be a relative thing... Ya know, the kind you invite to Christmas...
Hmm... it seems to me they can smuggle itself! Just put a large box with the mice on one side of a bordes, a large piece of cheese on another, and open the box.
Mice will go to another border and IANAL, but its seems to me that it's perfectly legal - they will just migrate!
I think that comment is supposed to mean that custom made germs and bacteria are patentable, whereas higher lifeforms than that are not.
But wouldn't it be something if humans were patentable? I'd take out patents George W. Bush, Carrot Top, Rush Limbaugh, and all the members of N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys just to prevent anyone from making any more of them.
What's Richard Gere been doing lately?
Researchers in the US are also smuggling in tax-free cigarettes for the mice to smoke during the studies.
and keep them from reproducing without my permission?
All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
But wouldn't it be something if humans were patentable?
Next news flash: Cancer Man not patentable. Trademarked, maybe.
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
Walt Disney must be spinning in his grave!
Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
All this patent and IP stuff must have come from Egypt. I now know why we don't know how the pyramids were built. The folks that owned the companies doing the work patented and copyrighted everything. They punished anyone that spoke of it with the DMCA (Digging and Movers Copyright Act) and thus soon the technology was forgotten.
This is probably why we don't have any of the music or movies from that era as well. They were covered by the MPAA (Movies and Pyramids Acrhitects Association) and the RIAA (Ra Is An Artist).
If this stuff keeps up, it won't be too many years until everything here will be forgotten as well, due to the fact that no one can say anything, do anything, or even think about anything.
I have no sig, does anyone have one to spare?
Whose the tumor riddled rat that isn't patentable at all?
C-A-N C-E-R M-O-U-S-E. Cancer Mouse! CancerMouse.
We treat him with drugs and hope he doesn't die, die, die.
Michael Loves Me!
I think we'll be smuggling them into the USA, not the other way around. Throwing in a free Generic Cancer Mouse with each pack of smuggled smokes the scientists import for their cancer studies.
I'm picturing little wooden-legged mice saying "Arrrr!"...
--- http://foo.ca
Congratulations!
You spelled "Canadian" correctly only 3 out of 9 times! You're now qualified to work as a Slashdot editor!
US-Canadian tensions? The US has a vast nuclear arsenal. Canada has a vast number of Quebecoi. Advantage: Canada
"IANAL, but its seems to me that it's perfectly legal - they will just migrate!"
This means that, since it facilitates the theft of intellectual property, cheese is now illegal under the DMCA.
On the plus side however, the major corporations will eventually patent different forms of cancer, and they'll have to cure anyone who isn't authorised to have it.