Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

Scientific American has an article about the debacle that is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Specifically the article is about people getting patents on things because of political reasons and therefore disallowing others to use them. "Making their own laws" as it were.

The story focuses on two "Biotechnology critics" whom "filed for a patent in 1997 for a method of combining various types of embryo cells to produce chimeras, creatures that would be part human, part animal." These fine fellas have absolutely no interest in any biotechnology, quite the contrary they DONT want the research done, so they have filed for patents to effectively kill any financial incentive companies or individuals would have for doing research in the area of chimera technology for 20 years. Now chimera technology may sound out there at first, but it has several interesting practical potentials such as "creating replacement organs for human transplants."

The problem arises as the article states because of the willingness of the patent office to grant such "post industrial" patents that in effect use the system as a "private regulatory vehicle."

For more on the issue and possible Supreme Court decisions that could aid in busting such patents check out the linked article.

  Make Your Own Rules: SciAm