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Patenting living organisms — how to beat the bug-rustlers

Attempts to patent ‘live’ biological processes have raised wide debate about the legal and philosophical implications. But patent protection may prove less attractive than a strategy of closely-guarded research and swift commercialisation. David Dickson reports from Washington

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Patenting living organisms — how to beat the bug-rustlers. Nature 283, 128–129 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283128a0

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