Ethics and patentability in biotechnology |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Rafa??WitekEmail author |
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Institution: | (1) Witek, Twardowska, Śnieżko, Patent Attorneys, ul. Rudolfa Weigla 12, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland |
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Abstract: | The systems of patent rights in force in Europe today, both at the level of national law and on the regional level, contain
general clauses prohibiting the patenting of inventions whose publication and exploitation would be contrary to “ordre public”
or morality. Recent years have brought frequent discussion about limiting the possibility of patent protection for biotechnological
inventions for ethical reasons. This is undoubtedly a result of the dynamic development in this field in the last several
years. Human genome sequencing, the first successful cloning of mammals, and the progress in human stem cell research present
humanity with many new questions of an ethical nature. Directive 98/44 of the European Parliament and of the Council of July
6, 1998, on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions created a new basis for patent protection in this field of
technology. Based on the European experience to now, however, it must be said that patent law is not the right place to legislate
the consequences of the morality of an invention.
An earlier version of this paper was presented at an international conference, “The Ethics of Intellectual Property Rights
and Patents,” held in Warsaw, Poland on 23–24 April, 2004. |
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Keywords: | patents biotechnological inventions Europe ordre public morality |
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