Ethic and patents: immiscible realities?

Intellectual Property ("IP") protection of the results of proteomics, genomics and other aspects of biomedical research can lead to significant issues and concerns. Some of these include whether (a) IP protection will impede research into future breakthroughs, (b) IP protection will increase the costs or decrease the access to new therapies or treatment modalities and (c) whether and how IP protection should recognize indigenous knowledge and genetic resources. As the chorus of apprehension is growing, this article will explore the issues and concerns raised by the intersection of new technologies and traditional IP protection.