Patent Laws and Biotechnological Inventions
All technologies that involve the processing of biological materials may be clubbed as biotechnology. Rapid advances are being made in this field. These inventions have made an impact on areas like agriculture, medicine, food production, and waste processing. Issues related to biotechnology attracted much attention after a sheep was successfully cloned after 272 attempts in 1997.
Research in this field involves a lot of money. Therefore, organizations that invest in research for commercial reasons want patent protection. The issue of patent laws with regard to biotechnological inventions has generated much debate. The legal aspect of biotech issues cannot be ignored.
Some people are not comfortable with the idea of genetically altering life. Since issues like cloning of humans are within the purview of biotechnology, the issue of patent laws is quite fraught. Some organizations also object to certain advances in biotech research on religious grounds. Although research in this field is likely to continue irrespective of whether patents are granted or not, patents are said to encourage research.
There is also a concern that if it is possible to patent biotechnology related inventions, research in the field will be conducted only for commercial reasons.
Others are concerned that patenting carries with it the notion of mechanized production. Thus living organisms assume the status of manufactured products. However, humans have been altering living things for commercial reasons for ages. For example, animals were bred according to the traits that made them commercially viable. Biotechnology only makes this process simpler and more economical.
There is also a feeling that patents in this field will allow multinational companies to use the natural resources of countries without any benefit to the people of those countries. However, 175 countries have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992. This convention allows the signatories to establish laws to prevent this.
People, who say that patent protection ought to be given for biotechnological inventions, assert that biotech research has contributed to the creation of life-saving medical treatments. There is a possibility that certain tissues or whole organs can be recreated using a person's DNA. This would be the perfect solution for the problem of bodies rejecting transplanted organs. If patent protection is not available, manufacturers may not be interested in investing in research in this area.
It is also said that advances in the field have engendered human welfare by increasing food production or by making agriculture more efficient. Moreover, biotechnological inventions may provide more environment friendly options in areas like agriculture. For example, chemical nematicides are widely used to deal with soil-dwelling nematodes that destroy crops all around the world in spite of being toxic and bad for the environment. Biotechnological inventions could offer solutions to such problems.
To ensure that biological inventions are not misused it is important to amend existing patent laws. Since patent laws affect many people, the multi-faceted issue must be discussed at length before any decisions are taken.
