Big news from the east side of Capitol Hill: It's not okay to patent genetic material taken from the human body. Or at least, it's not okay in the eyes of the nation's highest court. SCOTUS took on the controversial and somewhat futuristic case earlier this year, and with all the torrid discussion about updating all patent laws, everyone knew that this decision would be a landmark one.
It wasn't a tough one for the Supreme Court, though. In deciding on a case focused on Myriad Genetics, a company that built its empire by isolating and patenting two genes that indicate a higher risk of breast cancer, all nine judges voted against allowing human genes to be patented. Synthetically produced genes, however, are totally up for grabs and can continue to enjoy the legal protection of our nation's patent laws. Just don't expect Uncle Sam to swing his intellectual property rights sword to defend your Frankenstein, though. That's just wrong. [Reuters]
Image via Fine Art America
Source: http://gizmodo.com/us-supreme-court-human-genetic-material-cant-be-paten-513118654
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