[ExI] Gene Patents: Good or Bad?

[samantha]

Sondre Bjellås wrote:
> You ask if company X should be allowed to protect their invention in 
> any possible way: Yes they should! Everyone should try to protect 
> their core business ideas and implementations. Nobody has the right to 
> corporate or private information. Trade secrets is an essential part 
> of many businesses today.
>
> Other than that, we agree on most points. Trade secrets and 
> copyright/trademark laws are more than enough to protect the software 
> space. The heart of the discussion is patents on genes, which I would 
> say is somewhat similar to patent on elements (gold, silver, titanium).

I would agree if it is a patent on a naturally occurring genetic 
component.  Then there is no new invention, as Rafal points out.  But if 
it is a reasonably innovative modification through genetic engineering 
(and not just a mod to achieve patentability) then I don't see offhand 
why it shouldn't be as valid a candidate for protection as any other 
invention.
>
> The economy in Norway is scary, it's too good. It makes it hard to 
> export Norwegian goods and services. Norway was (I think) the first 
> country to raise it's interests rates, as we have a problem with to 
> many people investing money into real-estate which doesn't really do 
> good for anyone economy. Few companies have had to cut down on 
> employees and even less has closed down. Some companies have used the 
> "crisis" as a mechanism for laying off unwanted employees, which is 
> really, really hard in this country due to regulations and laws that 
> protect the employee.

Yeah.  Given the little I know of Norwegian policies and tax structure I 
was a bit surprised by its economic strength. 
>
> Other than that, it's a great country to live in if you like to take 
> things easy and don't worry to much. Before we found oil, you wouldn't 
> want to have lived here. We're close to 4.8 million that lives here 
> now and we have the worst railroad and road system in whole of Europe ;-)
I though that Norway's oil fields peaked some time ago. 

- samantha