Nature 407, 934 (26 October 2000), News

Germany gives green light to gene patents

QUIRIN SCHIERMEIER

[MUNICH] The German cabinet last week endorsed the patenting of human
genes, when it approved a European Union (EU) directive on the legal
protection of biotechnological inventions.
The move is a significant step towards the directive’s adoption across
Europe. It was approved at the European level in 1998 after almost ten
years of preparation, and is intended to harmonize biotechnology patents
in the EU (see Nature 388, 314; 1997). But ethicists and scientists still
object

From: Rural Advancement Foundation Intl
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 15:45:42 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: RAFI Genotypes: Stop Biopiracy in Mexico

23 October 2000
RAFI Geno-Types
http://www.rafi.org

The following is a summary prepared for RAFI’s listserve. Please visit
RAFI’s web site to find the
complete document.
http://www.rafi.org

“Stop Biopiracy in Mexico!”
Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations from Chiapas Demand Immediate Moratorium
Mexican Government Says No to Bioprospecting Permits

Over one year ago, eleven indigenous peoples’ organizations under the
umbrell

This is a part of “Gore and Bush Offer Their Views on Science”
Science Vol.290,Num.5490,Issue of 13 Oct 2000, pp. 262-269
—
*Science: The first analyses of the complete sequence of the human
genome
will soon be published. Should there be any restrictions on the use of
this information in areas such as genetic engineering, DNA patenting,
and obtaining health insurance?

GORE: Raw, fundamental genome sequence data, which cannot be patented,
should be made freely available to scientists around the world for use
in developing the next generation of medical diagnostic products,
treatments, and c

UNION 도메인이 신청되었답니다.

—– Original Message —–
From: “Jagdish Parikh”
To:
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 9:12 PM
Subject: [asialink-policy 1136] UNION – an Internet Domain Name for Trade
Unions proposed to ICANN

UNION – an Internet Domain Name for Trade Unions proposed to ICANN

Brussels, October 2,2000: The International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions (ICFTU) is making a proposal to the Internet Corporation for
Assigned names and numbers (ICANN) for the creation of a global “top-level
domain” (TLD) on the Internet for trade unions.

다음 내용은 특허에 관한내용은 아니지만 biopatent에 가입하신분들은
유전자 조작 식품의 안전문제에도 관심이 있으리라 생각하고 올립니다.
최근 FEBS letters에 아래와 같은 research article 이 실렸습니다.
아래에 Abstract와 Discussion을 첨부하였습니다. Discussion부분을
주목해주십시오.
혹시 전문이 필요하신데 구하기 힘든분은 저에게 개인적으로 mail주시기
바랍니다.

FEBS letters 481:164-168 (15 September 2000)
(FEBS: Federation of European Biochemical Societies)
—
DNA stability in plant tissues: implications for the possible transfer
of genes from genetically modified food

Amar Chitera, J. Michael Forbesb and G. Eric Blaira, ,
Edited by Ulf-Ingo Flügge

a School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Room 8.10a,

Nature 407, 285 (2000), Correspondence

Allowing gene patents could be an expensive mistake for the US

Sir ?In the discussion of gene patents1, it is generally overlooked
that
these primarily aim at the encoded protein and not the gene. The
discoverers
try to patent the use of the ‘gene product’ either as a therapeutic
protein, or
as an intervention point (‘drug target’) to treat a disease.

However, although the gene sequence provides necessary information on
the
protein structure, this information is insufficient, because the mRNA
and the
original gene product, the protein, are modified in