BACK TO GENE PATENT MEDIA CENTER
September 7, 2007
DNA Rights and Wrongs
Washington Post
Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) introduced the Genomic Research and Accessibility Act of 2007 (HR 977) to prevent future patenting of human genetic material. ... read more
July 10, 2007
Analysis: Patenting Mother Nature?
United Press International
“Legislation currently pending in Congress would prohibit researchers from patenting genes, but experts disagree on whether such a measure would help or hinder healthcare innovation…” read more
April 13, 2007
Stranger Than Fiction
LAW.COM
“The practice of patenting genes, which had largely faded from the headlines, has suddenly attracted a swarm of critics. The blitz includes an op-ed article in The New York Times by best-selling-novelist-turned-patent-gadfly Michael Crichton, a torrent of posts and comments on patent law blogs, and a disturbingly sweeping piece of intellectual property legislation…” read more
March 2, 2007
Bill Seeks to Ban Gene Patents
National Public Radio, Talk of the Nation
“A bill recently introduced in Congress would ban patenting any and all portions of the human genome. Critics argue gene patents make medical tests more expensive, block innovation, and hurt patient care.” LISTEN
February 15, 2007
Legislation to prohibit human genetic patents proposed in US
PHG Foundation
“US Congressman Xavier Becerra, a Democrat from California, has introduced a draft bill, the Genomic Research and Accessibility Act in the US House of Representatives to prohibit the patenting of human genetic material…” read more
February 13, 2007
Patenting Life
The New York Times
“YOU, or someone you love, may die because of a gene patent that should never have been granted in the first place. Sound far-fetched? Unfortunately, it’s only too real…” read more (pdf)
December 2006
When Patents Threaten Science
Science Magazine
“What if each generation of scientists was forbidden to use—or even think about—the theorems, principles, and natural phenomena that had been discovered or proven by the previous generation of scientists?...” read more
January/February 2004
Interview with Lori Andrews, J.D.
Imagine Magazine
“In this age of astonishing advances in biotechnological tools and discoveries, patent lawyers can hardly keep up with the demand for their services. But should we be patenting genes? Who considers the broader scientific and social impacts of our patent laws and policies?...” read more
May 2003
Owning a Piece of Jonathan
Chicago Magazine
“When Dan and Debbie Greenberg’s son was born with a deadly genetic disorder, the Homewood couple vigorously campaigned to help find the cause, even donating autopsy samples after he died. Eventually, the doctor they assisted uncovered the lethal gene – and then, to the Greenbergs’ amazement, quietly patented it…” read more
October 2002
Genes and Patent Policy: rethinking intellectual property rights
Nature Genetics Magazine
“Concerns about human gene patents go beyond moral disquiet about creating a commodity from a part of the human body and also beyond legal questions about whether genes are unpatentable products of nature. New concerns are being raised about harm to public health and to research…” read more