Comments on: Gene Patents: Association for Molecular Pathology v. USPTO http://politicalcartel.org/2009/11/04/gene-patents-association-for-molecular-pathology-v-uspto/ An International Online Editorial Magazine ■ Pittsburgh, PA, USA ■ Seoul, ROK Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:21:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: D. M. Manes http://politicalcartel.org/2009/11/04/gene-patents-association-for-molecular-pathology-v-uspto/#comment-8965 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:50:38 +0000 http://politicalcartel.org/?p=2234#comment-8965 The resources invested in R&D are certainly an understandable interest. I’d be curious to see more specific numbers on it, though. I assume they spend somewhere in the couple million dollar range developing each one, and charge $3k for each testing. So after a few hundred tests, their costs are probably paid for.

But I don’t really know what goes into this kind of development. It seems like a really really good deal for the companies, though, and maybe it should be modified.

Whatever the result of this case, it will be extremely important.

]]> By: Michael Kraemer http://politicalcartel.org/2009/11/04/gene-patents-association-for-molecular-pathology-v-uspto/#comment-8963 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:12:07 +0000 http://politicalcartel.org/?p=2234#comment-8963 It all really depends on the industry. Technology and science is quickly progressing. We have to keep the interests of society in mind while balancing that with the need for profit.

]]> By: j_ball http://politicalcartel.org/2009/11/04/gene-patents-association-for-molecular-pathology-v-uspto/#comment-8961 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:05:01 +0000 http://politicalcartel.org/?p=2234#comment-8961 keep in mind, though, that the term of a patent is only 20 years, at which point it enters into the public domain.

i don’t think 20 years is too much to ask when you consider the enormous amount of money and resources spent on research and development.

]]> By: Michael Kraemer http://politicalcartel.org/2009/11/04/gene-patents-association-for-molecular-pathology-v-uspto/#comment-8950 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:53:26 +0000 http://politicalcartel.org/?p=2234#comment-8950 Hear is an interesting aspect that speaks to the fears that overly protective genetic patents; 1) stifle innovation 2) holdup medical testing 3) reduce competition .

Patent Stacking & Injunctive Threats:

“Royalty stacking refers to situations in which a single product
potentially infringes on many patents, and thus may bear multiple royalty burdens. The term “royalty stacking” reflects the fact that, from the perspective of the firm making the product in question, all of the different claims for royalties must be added or “stacked” together to determine the total royalty burden borne by the product if the firm is to sell that product free of patent litigation. As a matter of simple arithmetic, royalty stacking magnifies the
problems associated with injunction threats and holdup, and greatly so if many patents read on the same product. In this key sense, the problems of injunction threats and royalty stacking are intertwined.”
http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/SHAPIRO/stacking.pdf

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