23/03/2002
An American biotechnology company wants to convert DNA coils into sound files in order to gain the copyright on them
In recent years, with the considerable progress in DNA research - a significant part of which is done by private companies - the question of rights to scientific knowledge has come up again. Can the genetic load of natural creatures such as a cow, a mosquito, or an anemone be private property? Now, reports the British newspaper "Independent", a creative solution is emerging that will allow private companies to write DNA coils on oil for particularly long periods.
The father of the idea is Dr. Pim Stimmer, vice president of the biotechnology research company Maxygen from Redwood, California. According to the publication in "The Independent", Stimmer intends to digitally convert the coils of DNA that carry the genetic code of animals or plants into files music.
While patent laws in most countries grant protection for a maximum of 17 years, copyrights applicable to music - like works of literature and art - expire only after 100 years. Moreover, declaring a patent on DNA is problematic from a legal point of view, since as mentioned, the discovery of the genetic sequence is not an invention, but only a discovery of something that existed in nature in the first place.
Now examining Steamer's plan is attorney Neil Burstein, one of the biggest US copyright experts, who previously worked for The Beatles. If the idea is realized in practice, Maxigan will be able to sell music files to other companies, along with software that allows them to be converted back to genetic codes. In an interview with "The Independent", Stimmer mentioned the Napster trial, which he said "showed that the unauthorized copying of digital music files from a musical database is a clear violation of copyright". This comparison is not unfounded: like Napster - and perhaps more so - Steamer's initiative is also expected to provoke a sharp public debate about the limits of ownership.
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