Should One Of Your Genes Be Owned By A Company? 20% Already Are...

[tomm2thumbs]

Run time: 03:13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9sMtOjeHqM   Posted on YouTube: May 13, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 14, 2009 By DU Member: tomm2thumbs Views on DU: 654

 
The government is being sued over the patent it allowed for the BRCA1 and BRACA2 genes which indicate likelihood of future breast cancer - and there is now only one company permitted to use the test due to the patent. What does this mean? No second opinions and no further research by other companies on that gene. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains

[izquierdista]

1. It's a good idea

When this company's gene starts expressing itself as a cancer, we can sue them for negligence. Tortious bastards, they should have foreseen the possibility that their property could have harmed someone and taken precautions!

[ejpoeta]

2. capitalism at it's worst. how can they own a gene that people have in their bodies.

i mean, isn't that like patenting a name... how many people are named jake, but now i own the name?? i could see patenting a test, but not a gene.

[IntravenousDemilo]

6. A friend and I were talking about patenting unpatentable things

I said I was going to take out a patent on the wheel, as it hadn't been done before, and it should be relatively easy to find a prototype. Then if anyone used anything containing a wheel of some sort, I would have to receive a royalty.

"But if you do that, I'll just patent the circle," he said, "and every time one of your wheels is used, or any other circular object, I'll get the royalty."

"Well, then, I'll be forced to patent geometry," I said.

"And then I'll patent the universe." Game, set, and match to my friend.

[Liberal_Christian]

3. "now only ONE company permitted to use the test due to the patent" -enough said

if this isn't evil I don't know what is.

[DCKit]

4. I'm old enough that I owned all my genes before the concept of patents on genetic material existed.

"Owning" naturally occurring genetic material is wrong, wrong, wrong.

They've taken "Finders Keepers" to an illogical conclusion. What if I "discovered" their house? Their car? Their kids? Do I own those things? Why not? I'm sure I could create just as convincing an excuse.

[jeff30997]

5. Hey,this gives me an idea.

I'll get every letters in the alphabet copyrighted and then I'll be richer than Bill Gates within a year.:think: