Patenting Human DNA
This POSTnote considers the arguments surrounding the patenting of human DNA and the issues raised.
GeneticsIntellectual property
Briefing
The UK is active in a large international programme to decipher the human genetic code. A split has developed between those (led by the US Government but followed reluctantly by the UK) who are attempting to patent basic genetic information as soon as it is decoded, and those who believe that patents should only be considered after further inventive steps. This undermines the international cooperation on which the programme relies.
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