Enclosing the Global Plant Genetic Commons

Abstract

"Property rights are assured by the collective standing behind one's claim to the benefits stream generated by property. Changing technology and institutions have interacted throughout history to create property rights from what had previously been public goods. The discovery of knowledge about DNA and the useful products that can be created through applications of that knowledge has generated conditions that have led to intellectual private property claims on many new processes and products. Large multinational life sciences companies seeking to capitalize on these developments have purchased many heretofore independent seed companies, leading to a high level of concentration in the seed industry. These issues are treated differently is various countries and many developing countries have limited capacity to deal with them. Policies to address the challenges created by this set of events are outlined."