Open Source Life

This short article on the intersection of the concepts of open source software and genetic patents essentially argues that the license we have to genetic code is closer to the “GPL” than to the “public domain” model.In English this means that we have open access to non-patented genetic code but that any changes we make need to also be given away; we cannot use this material we get freely, make a small change, and then claim it as our private intellectual property. The author argues this perspective both on the public safety front as well as a simple moral one. Of course, the US patent office does in fact allow patents on life.And I feel that is not right.