THIS AWARD-WINNING SITE IS UNDERGOING RENOVATION: NEW LINKS AND NEW ORIGINAL RESEARCH WILL BE ADDED SOON.
BIOTECHNOLOGY, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
RIGHTS & REGULATION:
RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET FOR ACTIVISTS, LEGAL PROFESSIONALS, AND POLICY MAKERS
MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY -- or "biological engineering," as some have called it -- has excited the imaginations and provoked the concerns of almost every part of society. Opinions about the nature, utility and value of biotechnology vary, and disagreements abound. Business executives praise its ostensibly enormous potential to solve chronic social and economic problems. Public interest groups worry about the long-term effects of its application to human and nonhuman health, environments, communities, and systems of knowledge. Nonspecialists show a mixture of skepticism and curiosity about the motives of both research into biotechnology and its attendant industries. The attitude of scientists and engineers ranges from enthusiasm to profound disquiet, depending mainly on who pays for their studies and whether they are engaged in general or applied research.
Biotechnology companies and much of the mass media tout advances in
modern biotechnology as little less than miraculous. The new techniques
of engineering life are said to be responsible for two revolutions in
contemporary society: a technological revolution, which
promises solutions to hunger and disease, and a productive
revolution, which will increase the efficiency of of research
development and manufacture of new products. Coupled with strong
domestic and international intellectual property rights, such as
patents, biotechnology becomes a tool for transfering technology and
securing new markets in the global economy. The temporary monopoly of
new technologies permitted by patents give national economies a
comparative advantage in trade. Moreover, recent developments in
intellectual property law have allowed unprecedented claims to be made
to the whole or parts of living organisms and have undermined
traditional notions of "public domain" and common ownership.
In contrast to their attitude toward purported benefits, company managers and government regulators often downplay the proven or possible risks which modern biotechnology poses to health, the environment, and traditional ways of life. Types of risks can be divided into two major categories -- direct and indirect. Direct risks include toxic side-effects of genetically engineered biochemicals and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), uncontrolled natural propagation of GMOs, evolution of new pathogens from viral coat proteins used in genetically engineered plants, and disruption of delicate ecosystem balances through various mechanisms. Indirect risks include transmission of engineered genes to related varieties and species (with unpredictable effects), development of resistances among pests targeted by genetically engineered crop plants, inducement to overuse of chemical pesticides and herbicides, and socio-economic upheaval brought by any of the above effects. Already, field tests -- some unregulated or illegal -- have been conducted throughout the world.
Unfortunately, the important debates about the ethics of manipulating the genes of living beings cannot be treated adequately in this small space. To study the issues of these debates, one may wish to visit the Web site of the Council for Responsible Genetics.
Internet links
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Below are some links to resources on the Internet that address the set of economic, social, and environmental issues outlined above. The links are split
among seven categories for convenience:
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The complete list of links is not meant to be comprehensive, only to provide resources most likely to be useful to activists, legal professionals, policy makers, as well as to diverse consultants and researchers. This page will be up-dated regularly. If you think a link should be added, or if you have questions or comments, please send Email to Michael Lane <mflane@acephale.org>. I soon hope to have a Spanish-language version of this page.
Last up-dated on 1 July 1998