Genes Can’t be Privatized
March 31, 2010 at 1:44 PM 1 comment
I love this ruling (though it may not stand): Court Strikes Down Patents on Two Human Genes.
As Discover reported earlier this year, the case was brought to court by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of 20 plaintiffs, including the American College of Medical Genetics, the Association for Molecular Pathology, and various individuals. The lawsuit charged that the BRCA patents—and gene patents in general—violate established laws that prohibit the patenting of products and laws of nature. According to the ACLU, “Human genes, even when removed from the body, are still products of nature” [Discover]. The plaintiffs alleged that the company’s patents also prevented research on the genes and their link to cancer, and was ultimately harmful in the long run.
Essentially, the court ruled that genes found in nature can’t be patented. Bravo. Corporations shouldn’t be allowed to take oh, say the gene of an Oak tree, patent it, and then make a zillions dollars off of it.
Entry filed under: Corporatocracy. Tags: .
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M. Douglas Wray | March 31, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Once again we the people have to explain to non-people-people (corporations) that they do NOT own the world. I think it’s way past time to outlaw corporate personhood and start holding the wannabee royalty accountable. Didn’t we kick the royals out a long time ago?