The anti-intellectual effects of intellectual property

Intellectual property considerations decrease research productivity in subtle and unanticipated ways. Chemical probe exchange between Pharma and academia is hindered by academic IP interests. These are perceived as a subtle nuisance by the academic researcher. Novel ligands for oral targets are historically few and numbers of economically attractive oral drug targets are limited. Economically speculative targets lie in the academic domain but the medicinal chemistry to explore these in a drug discovery sense lies in Pharma and cooperation between the two is hindered by very different academic and Pharma views on chemical quality. Tools and probes for academic target validation can accommodate looser chemical quality criteria as opposed to the very strict chemical quality criteria required in Pharma drug discovery.     

Needed: models of biotechnology intellectual property

Although never uncontroversial, intellectual property rights in biotechnological innovation are once more the focus of intense debate. The debate has yet to reach any result, largely because of several important errors in the way that various disciplines approach it. These errors include making assumptions without empirical basis and conflating various intellectual property regimes. What is needed is a transdisciplinary integrated method to correct these errors. Such a method can be implemented through the construction of alternative models of intellectual property protection designed to balance the various social, ethical and economic constraints that affect biotechnology.     

Trendspotting: a shift in intellectual property focus

An analysis of recent trends in intellectual property that impact early- to mid-stage life sciences companies and their investors.     

Review: intellectual property aspects of plant transformation

One of the recurring themes of the debates concerning the application of genetic transformation technology has been the role of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). This term covers both the content of patents and the confidential expertise usually related to methodology and referred to as 'Trade Secrets'. This review explains the concepts behind patent protection, and discusses the wide-ranging scope of existing patents that cover all aspects of transgenic technology, from selectable markers and novel promoters to methods of gene introduction. Although few of the patents in this area have any real commercial value, there are a small number of key patents that restrict the 'freedom to operate' of new companies seeking to exploit the methods. Over the last 20 years, these restrictions have forced extensive cross-licensing between ag-biotech companies and have been one of the driving forces behind the consolidation of these companies. Although such issues are often considered of little interest to the academic scientist working in the public sector, they are of great importance in any discussion of the role of 'public-good breeding' and of the relationship between the public and private sectors.     

Genes and patent policy: rethinking intellectual property rights

Concerns about human gene patents go beyond moral disquiet about creating a commodity from a part of the human body and also beyond legal questions about whether genes are unpatentable products of nature. New concerns are being raised about harm to public health and to research. In response to these concerns, various policy options, such as litigation, legislation, patent pools and compulsory licensing, are being explored to ensure that gene patents do not impede the practice of medicine and scientific progress.     

Language revitalization in Native North America--issues of intellectual property rights and intellectual sovereignty

Language revitalization, oral tradition and epistemology are expressions of Native peoples intellectual sovereignty, and thus the foundation for indigenous intellectual property rights. As the people of California move towards language and cultural revitalization the question arises: What constitutes or constructs the definitions of intellectual property and how can appropriation of indigenous knowledge be protected? Looking at the issues faced by the California's indigenous populace and by implication, other indigenous peoples in the United States, this essay examines how protection may be afforded under the United Nations definition of 'heritage'. Given that the holding safe of a 'culture' or 'heritage' is inclusive of language, and thus has been determined to be a human right.     

Genome editing: intellectual property and product development in plant biotechnology

Genome editing is a revolutionary technology in molecular biology. While scientists are fascinated with the unlimited possibilities provided by directed and controlled changes in DNA in eukaryotes and have eagerly adopted such tools for their own experiments, an understanding of the intellectual property (IP) implications involved in bringing genome editing-derived products to market is often lacking. Due to the ingenuity of genome editing, the time between new product conception and its actual existence can be relatively short; therefore knowledge about IP of the various genome editing methods is relevant. This point must be regarded in a national framework as patents are instituted nationally. Therefore, when designing scientific work that could lead to a product, it is worthwhile to consider the different methods used for genome editing not only for their scientific merits but also for their compatibility with a speedy and reliable launch into the desired market.     

Innovation and intellectual property rights in systems biology

A framework for characterizing systems-based knowledge is needed to understand the new complexities arising from the assignment of IP rights to biological information.     

Transposon tools: worldwide landscape of intellectual property and technological developments

DNA transposons are considered to be good candidates for developing tools for genome engineering, insertional mutagenesis and gene delivery for therapeutic purposes, as illustrated by the recent first clinical trial of a transposon. In this article we set out to highlight the interest of patent information, and to develop a strategy for the technological development of transposon tools, similar to what has been done in many other fields. We propose a patent landscape for transposon tools, including the changes in international patent applications, and review the leading inventors and applicants. We also provide an overview of the potential patent portfolio for the prokaryotic and eukaryotic transposons that are exploited by spin-off companies. Finally, we discuss the difficulties involved in tracing relevant state-of-the-art of articles and patent documents, based on the example of one of the most promising transposon systems, including all the impacts on the technological development of transposon tools.     

The Pacific Islands: a biotechnology resource bank of medicinal plants and traditional intellectual property

Traditional medicines, the mainstay of medical treatment for virtually all minor ailments in many developing countries, have been tapped for the production of new therapeutics in the sustenance of human health and well-being. Vulnerable to the vicissitudes of globalization issues such as intellectual property rights, trade and gender are of relevance in the Pacific region that is a source of some unique traditional healing systems.     

The kaleidoscope of the indigenous: female artisans and female maquila workers in multicultural Mexico

Dialectical Anthropology - Our proposal in this article is to analyze the ideological production of the indigenous subject in the context of multicultural policies in Mexico. We discuss the case of...