3 ms·

can you explain why? patents incentivize innovation (supposedly). no one invents their own genes. if someone wins the genetic lottery and has a gene that conf

• dpratt 13y ago
  This raises a good point - perhaps I'm not looking for a patent, but rather a copyright. My goal is to ensure that the only legal owner of my particular genome is myself, and thus I can authorize who can possess a copy of it and issue 'licenses'. In fact, the more I think about it, the concept of patenting a particular genetic code is akin to patenting the contents of a book; it just doesn't apply.
  • a_bonobo 13y ago
    ...except that a book is an original work - your genome is derivative of your parents, and very similar to your relatives, and still somewhat similar to people of your ancestry.
    • dpratt 13y ago
      I get the argument that it is a derivative work, but a personal genome also has the unique property of literally being the absolute essence of my own person. I morally and ethically possess a right to the usage of that essence, and I think it would be a very good idea for society to set up a legal framework that protects that right.