From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
A biological patent is a
patent relating to an
invention in
biology. Whether or not
patents can be validly obtained
for certain parts of the
DNA of an organism depends on
the patent
law.
Some types of biological
patents are considered
controversial by some as they feel
life is not invented thus
should not be patentable. This is
especially true if the biological
matter being patented can be found
in the
natural world or sequences of
DNA. Advocates who speak
against biological patents suggest
that the techniques and processes
associated with the discovery
could be patentable but not the
actual biological matter itself.
For example, an advocate against
biological patents would suggest
that a
gene associated with
cancer should not be patented,
but the test used to detect the
gene could be. Another example of
a controversial biological patent
is
Harvard's
oncomouse.
