This, at the human level, is not so theoretical...
CNN News
Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer
April 17, 2013
Justices at odds over patents for human genes
Quote:
Washington (CNN) -- It is a case at the intersection of science and finance,
an evolving 21st century dispute that comes down to a simple question:
Should the government allow patents for human genes?
The Supreme Court offered little other than confusion during oral arguments
on Monday on nine patents held by a Utah biotech firm.
Myriad Genetics isolated two related types of biological material, BRCA-1 and BRCA-2,
linked to increased hereditary risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
At issue is whether "products of nature" can be treated the same as "human-made" inventions,
and held as the exclusive intellectual property of individuals and companies.
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But again, IMO, products reproduced one generation to the next should not carry patent protection.
Seed corn and wheat generally were patented as disease-resistant because
their resistance was multi-gene based upon 1st generation matings of different straits,
and the trait could not be carried into subsequent seed-crops.