Patents On Genes: Round Two

dstates writes "An industry has grown up around patents guaranteeing exclusive access to testing of mutations in specific genes, but recently the Supreme Court rejected a biotechnology patent saying laws of nature cannot be patented, and threw the issue of patents on genes back to the lower courts. The Court of Appeals is now preparing to hear arguments on whether genes can be patented. The results will have major implications. On the one hand, restricting access to whole regions of the human genome will stifle scientific progress. On the other, companies like Myriad Genetics and Optimal Medicine use the patents to protect years of work invested in research, but this also means preventing other companies from offering diagnostics based on competing faster and lower cost technologies to analyze mutations in these genes."

Comments

Retribution

[gmuslera]

If well those companies could deserve some recognition or retribution for their effort and investment, they should not own that knowledge, and/or somewhat forbid or put obstacles (including economic ones) to others to keep building from that point. Some patents in medicine, or drugs could be actually killing people for not having available those products because their patent enforcement, and i don't see any patent holder going to jail for mass murder.