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Synthetic Biology, Biotechnology Patents and the Protection of Human Health. A Consideration of the Principals at Stake

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Synbio and Human Health

Abstract

Synthetic biology offers our society huge possibilities in the large-scale prevention and cure of numerous medical conditions and physical deficits. However, it also involves serious legal and philosophical dilemmas. This paper tries to offer a critical vision of the legal framework related to this issue, paying special attention to the principles at stake. On one hand, it points out the legal necessity to separate the legitimate protection of the invention from the arbitrary monopolization of the discovery. On the other hand, it highlights that a general reorganization of the regulation of patents might be needed, so as to avoid some of the dysfunctions that this regime provokes in terms of justice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Legal Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende (Cosenza), Italy

    Anna Falcone

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  1. Anna Falcone
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Correspondence to Anna Falcone .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain

    Iñigo de Miguel Beriain

  2. University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain

    Carlos María Romeo Casabona

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Falcone, A. (2014). Synthetic Biology, Biotechnology Patents and the Protection of Human Health. A Consideration of the Principals at Stake. In: de Miguel Beriain, I., Romeo Casabona, C. (eds) Synbio and Human Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9196-0_5

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