Chapter 7, Problem 20STP

Summary Introduction

To explain:

Pro and cons of patenting discoveries about organism.

Introduction :

A patent can be described as a grant which gives an exclusive authority to the inventor to process, design and exhibition of different research for the discoveries or innovation they have made. It can be simply described as legal authorization of discovery and solely working n a particular discovery.

Explanation of Solution

The patent system allows the conservation of the intellectual rights, which may have benefits but have many cons as well. Given below are possible pros and cons of patenting discoveries about different organisms.

Pros:

1. It gives company/researcher time to look at the discovered fact or other invention more closely without any competition and reduces the unnecessary divergence.
2. It encourages private research; the security of the intellectual property gives the researchers a trust about getting recognitions and help them to think more creatively.
3. Provided opportunity to earn and invest in more research.

Cons:

1. As the data is generally not shared in patent system, it may confine the research. Fr example, if the rights of experimenting on a bacterium is confined to a company, researchers outside that organization may not be able to work on it, which may result in delayed research and missing its potential use.
2. Leads to monopoly of the discovery. The companies/ researchers that holds patent may not allow other people to perform research or may charge them for working with it, which would lead to monopoly.
3. It also slows down medical benefits in some conditions.