Abstract
This chapter first revisits the classical ongoing legal debate around ownership rights in human biological material, based on the two opposite perspectives – one that defends an absolute non-patrimonial view, denying the possibility of the existence of a property right in this field and the other that defends the existence of a property right over human bodily material and considers that denying participants in scientific research property right over their biological material may be a source of unfairness to them. Second, it analyses the consequences of the application of classical property rights to the biological material, such as the Portuguese Law does, advancing several arguments from in support of the conclusion that classical property rights do not adjust to the juridical characteristics of human biological material and its use in biobanks for research. The chapter ends up, in a third part, with a draft proposal of a new juridical construction for contemporary law, within property rights, that is, a new concept of ‘biological property’, which should be shaped by a balanced respect for both individual and scientific/society interests and a specific legal framework within property rights law that could reflect the norms of biolaw already applying in our societies to human biological material (e.g. principle of non-commercialisation and principle of informed consent). Because of its novelty and complexity the idea of a ‘biological property’ presented in this chapter is in need of further development. Only an international normative framework would be adequate to create and determine the juridical background of a new kind of property adjustable to human biological material and its significance in modern societies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Annas GJ (2004) American Bioethics – Crossing Human Rights and Health Law Boundaries. Oxford University Press, Washington
Berg K (2001) The ethics of benefit sharing. Clinical Genetics 59:240–243
Bovenberg JA (2006) Property Rights in Blood, Genes and Data – Naturally Yours? Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, Boston
Cambon-Thomsen A (2002) Ethical aspects in different kinds of biobanks used for genomics in Europe. Presentation at the “Workshop on Biobanks – Practical, Ethical and Legal Aspects,” Sept. 12–13, Uppsala, Sweden
Catalona WJ (2005) Letter to the editor. Journal of American Medical Association 293:1326
Davoll et al. Vs. Brown (1845) www.rychlicki.net/inne/3West.L.J.151.pdf
European Commission (2001) Survey on opinions from National Ethics Committees or similar bodies, public debates and national legislation in relation to biobanks. Quality of Life Programme, Brussels
European Commission (2004) Directive 2004/23/EC, Directive on setting standards of quality and safety for the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells. Brussels
European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (1998) Opinion on the ethical aspects of human tissue banking. Report no. 11 on Human Tissue Banks
European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (2000) Citizens rights and new technologies: A European challenge. Report on the Charter of Fundamental Rights related to technological innovationsas requested by the President of the European Commission, Brussels
European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (1998) Opinion on the ethical aspects of human tissue banking. Report n. 11
Faria P (1999) Données Génétiques Informatisées – un défi au droit à la confidentialité des données personnelles de santé. Edn du Septentrion, Villeneuve d’Ascq
Faria P, Campos A (2001a) Banking of genetic material and data in Europe: Legal, Ethical and Economical Issues. Portuguese Ethical-Legal Contextual Report (for the EUROGENBANK consortium). National School of Public Health, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon
Faria P, Campos A (2001b) Banking of genetic material and data in Europe: Legal, ethical and economical issues. Spanish Ethical-Legal Contextual Report (for the EUROGENBANK consortium). National School of Public Health, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon
Faria P, Campos A (2005) A nova lei sobre informacão de saúde, informaç ão genética e biobancos – Guia das disposiç ões mais importantes. Revista Portuguesa de Sa´ude P´ublica 23:97–101
Galloux JC (1989) De la nature juridique du matériel génétique ou de la réification du corps humain et du vivant. Recherche Juridique 3:519–550
Grandolfo GM (1992) The human property gap. Santa Clara Law Review 32:957–975
Hakimian R, Korn D (2004) Ownership and use of tissue specimens for research. Journal of American Medical Association 292:2500–2505
Harichaux M (1988) Le corps objet. In: Drai R, Harichaux M (Eds.) Bioéthique et Droit. PUF, Paris
Hirtzlin I et al.(2003a) An empirical survey on biobanking of human genetic material and data in six EU countries (on behalf of the EUROGENBANK consortium). In: Knoppers BM (Ed.) Population and Genetics – Legal and Socio-Ethical Perspectives. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, Boston
Hirtzlin I et al. (2003b) An empirical survey on biobanking of human genetic material and data in six EU countries. European Journal of Humans Genetics 11:475–488
Hofmann B et al. (2006) Analogical reasoning in handling emerging technologies: The case of umbilical cord blood biobanking. American Journal of Bioethics 6:49–57
Janger EJ (2005) Genetic information, privacy and insolvency. Journal of Law,Medicine and Ethics 33:105–108
Karlsen JR et al. (2006) To know the value of everything: A critical commentary to B. Björkman and S.O. Hansson’s ‘bodily rights and property rights’. Journal of Medical Ethics 32:215–219
Kennedy I, Grubb A (2005) Medical Law. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Knoppers BM (1999) Status, sale and patenting of human genetic material: An international survey. Nature Genetics 22:23–26
Labrusse-Riou C (1991) La maîtrise du vivant: matière à proces. Pouvoirs 56:106
Leclercq P, Catala P (1992) L’information est-elle un bien? In: Carbonnier J et al. (Eds.) Droit et informatique – l’hermine et la puce, Masson, Paris, pp 91–109
Lipinski TA, Britz JJ (2000) Rethinking the ownership of information in the 21st century: Ethical implications. Ethics and Information Technology 2:49–71
Mazen N (1988) Réflexions juridiques sur le matériel génétique de l’homme. In: Drai R, Harrichaux M. (Eds.) Bioéthique et Droit, PUF, Paris, pp 194–210
Merz JF et al. (2002) Protecting subject’s interests in genetics research. American Journal of Human Genetics 70:965–971
Moine (1997) Les choses hors du commerce, une approche de la personne humaine juridique. LGDJ, Paris
Noiville C, Bellivier F (2007) Les collections d’échantillons biologiques entre propriété et contrat. Revue des Contrats 2:493–504
Portuguese National Council on Ethics (2008) www.cnecv.gov.pt
Prata A (1989) Dicion´ario Jur´ıdico, 2nd edn. Almedina, Coimbra
Rynning E (2002) Legal issues on biobanking – Privacy versus freedom of research and property rights. Presentation at the “Workshop on Biobanks – Practical, ethical and legal aspects,” Sept. 12–13, Uppsala, Sweden
Solbakk JH et al. (2004) Mapping the language of research-biobanks and health registries – From traditional biobanking to research biobanking – A project presentation. In: ´Arnason G et al. (Eds.) Blood and Data – Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Human Genetic Databases. University of Iceland Press, Center of Ethics, Reykjav´ık, pp 299–305
Tallacchini M (2005) Rethoric of anonymity and property rights. In: Human Biological Materials (HBMs). Law and the Genome Review, January to June, pp 153–175
Thouvenin D (1994) La personne et son corps: un sujet humain, pas un individu biologique. LPA 149:27
Underkuffler LS (2003) The idea of property, its meaning and power. Oxford University Press, Oxford
UNESCO (1997) Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights
Walker DM (1980) The Oxford Companion to Law. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Westerlund L, Persson AH (2001) Civil reflections on the use of human biological material. In: Hansson MG (Ed.) The Use of Human Biobanks – Ethical, Social, Economical and Legal Aspects, Report I. Uppsala University, Uppsala, pp 61–82
The Washington University vs. W.J. Catalona et al. (2005) www.prostatecure.wustl.edu/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
de Faria, P.L. (2009). Ownership Rights in Research Biobanks: Do We Need a New Kind of ‘Biological Property’?. In: Solbakk, J., Holm, S., Hofmann, B. (eds) The Ethics of Research Biobanking. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93872-1_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93872-1_18
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-93871-4
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-93872-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)