SARS patents
2003-05-06 16:30:53.447223+00 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
Why are patents screwed up? Well, the race is on to patent the SARS virus. So if your lab sequenced the whole thing but didn't have the legal abilities of another lab, sorry, all that work is now moot. The British Columbia Cancer Agency is saying that their patent will "protect accessibility", but it's unclear as to exactly how that will play out.
Dr. Marco Marra, credited with cracking the genetic code, said he supports the patent application, but only because it keeps the door to further research open.
"I believe that the agency is acting in the best interests of the public in protecting access to the sequence information."
Marra said he personally requested that his name not be included on the patent application as the scientist who found the genetic sequence.
"This stems largely from a personal belief that DNA sequence is a discovery as opposed to an invention and should not be patentable," he said.
I think he's naive, but I also don't know whether or not his parent organization will ever be in financial straits and need to show a profit to its funders.