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Indonesia Stops Sharing Avian Virus Samples

Posted by kdawson on from the intellectual-property-flu dept.

dankrabach writes "Indonesia has apparently decided to play the IP game, with the world's health at stake. The country, one of the hardest-hit by avian flu, has stopped submitting virus samples to the World Health Organization, and is negotiating to sell them to an American drug company that makes the vaccine. They feel slighted when they give away such samples, but then cannot afford the patented vaccines. Logical to me, given the rules of the game; however, can't we come up with some GPL'ish license to free any product based on this data?"

2 of 243 comments (clear)

  1. Fight Fire With Fire... by w33t · · Score: 0, Troll

    This makes sense, though dismal that sense be. Holding human lives as so much merchandise, certainly it's nothing new - but that doesn't make is any less reprehensible.

    Fight fire with fire, the old adage goes. Though sometimes I wonder why fire can't be fought with water instead.

    --
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  2. Re:Alternate first sentence by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 0, Troll

    I'd be pissed too if i was indonesia.

    Pissed about what? That Indonesian scientists couldn't find a cure? That a lot of people don't work for free? That the people who do work for free (or for charitable causes) didn't succeed?

    I'd be unhappy in their case too, but who's really to blame? "No good deed goes unpunished", they say.

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