[LINK] Human genetic material patents in Australia

Jan Whitaker jwhit at janwhitaker.com
Sat Feb 16 08:56:11 AEDT 2013


What happened to public good over company profits?
http://www.theage.com.au/world/victory-for-private-control-of-genes-20130215-2eis6.html

I feel for the woman. This is just wrong.

Are we going 'the American way'? Actually, no. In the US, the patents 
on these genes were invalidated in 2010.
https://www.cas.org/news/insights/science-connections/gene-patent

Then it was overturned on appeal to reaffirm the rights of Myriad:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/business/court-reaffirms-right-of-myriad-genetics-to-patent-genes.html?_r=0
"But the court denied the biotechnology company's effort to patent 
methods of "comparing" or "analyzing" DNA sequences. "
"Thursday's decision in the ethically charged litigation was made 
five months after the Supreme Court, in a case involving a blood test 
developed by Prometheus Laboratories, unanimously ruled that 
companies were not permitted to patent observations about natural phenomena. "

Then it was appealed to the US Supreme Court, which will address the 
case this year:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323751104578151494177542644.html
Same company involved as in Australia
Case on the docket for April 2013.

Jan


Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

_ __________________ _



More information about the Link mailing list