Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Science 13 July 2001:
Vol. 293. no. 5528, p. 217
DOI: 10.1126/science.1058032
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Policy Forum

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:
Patents, Secrecy, and DNA

Robert Mullan Cook-Deegan and Stephen J. McCormack

In this policy forum, Cook-Deegan and McCormack urge that DNA sequence information contained in patents be made publicly available soon after patent applications are filed. This will speed access to valuable data without undermining investment in subsequent development of DNA-based inventions. The authors further suggest that federal agencies and nonprofit funds consider adopting this policy as a condition of accepting their funders; private firms could adopt it as a norm to reduce duplication of effort and to accelerate innovation

R. M. Cook-Deegan is at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1212, USA, and the Stanford in Washington Program, 2661 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA. S. McCormack is President and CEO, AlleCure Corporation, Valencia, CA 91355, USA.

*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rmc{at}georgetown.edu

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Gene patents and the standard of care.
R. Gold, T. A. Caulfield, and P. N. Ray (2002)
Can. Med. Assoc. J. 167, 256-257
   Full Text »    PDF »
The Impact of Genomics on Global Health.
T. Pang (2002)
Am J Public Health 92, 1077-1079
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Genomics and global health.
T. Pang and D. Weatherall (2002)
BMJ 324, 1051-1052
   Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)