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Correspondence
Nature 399, 405-406 (3 June 1999) | doi:10.1038/20786
Plant DNA patents in the hands of a few
S. M. Thomas1,2, M. Brady2 & J. F. Burke3
- Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 28 Bedford Square, London WC1 3EG, UK
- Science Policy Research Unit
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
Consolidation in the agrochemical and seed industry continues to shorten the list of owners of 'enabling' intellectual property for plant genetic modification and molecular biology. Six major groups of multinational companies are poised to develop and patent agronomically important plant genes identified in genome sequencing programmes for crop improvement (see page 396in this issue and ref. 1
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