Liberate the Breast Cancer Genes

On May 12, 2009, the ACLU and the Public Patent Foundation filed a suit on behalf of organizations and individuals representing over 150,000 health professionals and women's groups and individuals. The suit, against the US Patent Office and Myriad Genetics, seeks to invalidate breast cancer gene patents.
For more information go to:
http://www.aclu.org/brca
http://www.pubpat.org
Video produced for the ACLU by Joel Engardio

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• breast cancer
• First Amendment
• ACLU
• genetics
• genes
• Myriad
• patents
• ovarian cancer
• cancer
• women
• research

[gadionson1]

why?



[dswetnam1]

angry

[viniciusb]

Fucking asshole motherfucking piece shit of a cunt. I hope this Myriad founder fucker dies with his body burned and his had drowned at the same time.

[eyac1]

Without Myriad there would not even be a test.

[TheLocklike]

No one can declare the ownership of a human gene through the "patent system". The human race will not tolerate slavery or it's fate be determined through the fake ownership of it's genes by an out of touch psychotic idiology whose endavor is to concentrated wealth in the hands of the few while the rest suffer deprevation poverty sickness and death. That is the concept of poverty trickdown economics of modern "capitalism"

[cannon00]

All man-made genes (made in a laboratory through a gel) are by definition man-made. Naturally existing genes cannot be patented under 17 USC 101 b/c patent law does not reward discoveries, only inventions.

Furthermore the millions of dollars from people who care from the goodness of their heart pails in comparison to the tens of BILLIONS that R&D corps pour in. If you take away their monetary incentive, do you think good samaritans will really be able to shoulder the same burden?

[cannon00]

A human gene constitutes a discovery under 17 USC 101 and is non-patentable subject matter. Thus, although a composition patent claim (the gene itself) would be invalid, a method or device (of using the gene) in a particular manner could still be patented.

"no one is allowed to legally research the cancer gene" is incorrect."

All patents are limited in scope. This patent grants ownership of ONE particular way of doing research to a private entity The public may research around the patent.

[cannon00]

Myriad can suck it, but as an amateur intellectual property scholar I think a per se ban on gene patents, as proposed by the ACLU, would likely lead to severely diminished research in the field of genetic therapy. The United States is one of the leaders in genetic therapy research. The EU lags a fair amount behind. The EU does not allow for gene patents. If your a corporation, where would you set up shop?

[dsuemarable98]

"allows the patenting of "anything made under the sun by man."

I don't think genes were made by man...I think how they were made/who made them is of some debate, but I think we all agree they're not man-made.

Also, there are millions of dollars being poured into breast cancer research that have been donated by people who care. There shouldn't have to be a monetary incentive to save lives.

[MoronFreeZone]

Keep saturating your systems with ARTIFICIAL CHEMICAL HORMONES, there girlies! You'll get cancer and the DE-POPULATION advocates win. Just absorb toxins for YEARS. Ha Ha Ha! Jokes on YOU!!!