Nick Maclaren29/4/04 2:59


In article ,
Sacha writes:
|
| A living thing is as much a commodity as anything else. Race horse owners
| shouldn't be paid if their mare produces a promising foal or their stallion
| covers a good brood mare? The semen straws cattle breeders send abroad
| should be free?

Let us say that I am a pigopoloist, and turn up demanding royalties
from you for every rose you sell, because I have retrospectively
patented the genus Rosa. That isn't far off what has been going
on, and what the extortionists want more of.

I wish that I were joking :-(

I understand what you're getting at now and do remember reading something
about it a while ago. Now that truly IS disgraceful, I agree. Patenting
yew trees so as to cream off Tamoxifen (?) profits would be a horrible
example. I'm not at all clear as to why this is being allowed, though.

--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)