Plant Biotechnologies: What is Common and What Remains Private?

Abstract

"The purpose of this paper is to analyze, in the field of agricultural biotechnology, how can the changes in research organization and in intellectual property right help us to build optimal research organization design and optimal intellectual property right regime in the future? Firstly we analyze why the genetic resource status has evolved from a common heritage of mankind to the status of private property or club good. Dealing with the perverse effects of this status change, I present the answers that are made by the international and national institutions. Finally, the actors themselves -public and private laboratories- have proposed alternatives that lead today to consider a new status for genetic resources and other research inputs: the definition and creation of common property goods."