Use patents

[Thelema]

Hi,

certain pharmaceutical companies are taking out "use patents" that safeguard that they have a property right for claiming that a certain herb can be used in a certain way for certain things, and no-one else may advertise the same compound for those predicaments. But call me idealistic, but this really goes against the grain for me (or have I got the whole idea wrong?).

Because, the success of a herb in treating certain things is surely a matter of hypothesis and testing etc. And when that information enters the public domain, who on earth dares to claim legitimacy over deciding who owns the claim? - doesn't it seem wrong that someone can own this bit of pharmacological science?

For instance see use patent:

here

[Neoshaman]

Hi,

certain pharmaceutical companies are taking out "use patents" that safeguard that they have a property right for claiming that a certain herb can be used in a certain way for certain things, and no-one else may advertise the same compound for those predicaments. But call me idealistic, but this really goes against the grain for me (or have I got the whole idea wrong?).

Because, the success of a herb in treating certain things is surely a matter of hypothesis and testing etc. And when that information enters the public domain, who on earth dares to claim legitimacy over deciding who owns the claim? - doesn't it seem wrong that someone can own this bit of pharmacological science?

For instance see use patent:

here

I know the point you are making Thelema , however I think there is a few ways of looking at such. Although I disagree with concept I can see the pros and cons

How much does it cost to register a patent does anybody know is it feasable to set up an ethnobotanical DGR that uses donated money to patent natural products/formulas in order to stop big business owning them all?

The main advanatge and i use the term advantage quite lightly is that natuarl products whose treatment was extremely beneficial , can now be properly resaerched and used more effectively the arguement i would make in point would be something like Ibogaine being used to treat drug addiction , yes I know anyone with knowledge of ethnos knows about these properties of ibogaine , but the general public does not so if a highly effective treatment based on a natuarl product can gain a higher level of use and acceptance in the community this cannot necessarily be all bad. Before this legislation came in there was not really a great deal of funding being put into these areas no patent= no $$$$ bennefit no $$$$ = no point wasting $$$$ on R&D

Now to the other side yes there is potential fort large pharmaceutical co. to snap up these patents and various associated techniques for using them. I'm taking a little comfort in the fact they can't patent the actual living thing rather something specfic which is produced by it. But even stil these are naturally occuring elements that have existed since time itself so to claim ownership or creation of such is absolutely ridiculous. Fiurther more I would arrgue that the idea of doing research on natural products is profitable many companies today surviive solely on the production of generic medicines how can these companies survive if producing medicines not controlled by patent is unprofittable I realise tey have much smaller R& D budgets but what i'm trying to get at is there has to be some way to create a happy medium. Only suggestion I could think of right now would be using government subsidy type system for natural product R& D .

Sorry I know its a bit all over the place just the many thoughts i had while looking into the topic

[lightning]

There is an organisation in India which was reported on by sbs last week I think it was dateline and they have successfully challenged a use patent for Tumeric that was granted to a US company for medical treatment of certain ailments on the basis that Tumeric being a natural plant is the domain of all creatures not just man and it's use in medicine has been known for centuries and therefore cannot be patented, they won in US supreme court I believe. The group is in process of translating the ancient medical texts of India to prevent the patenting of the plants listed, they are backed by the Indian Govt. and Indian Traditional Medical establishment.

/So hopefully that will put an end to this vile practice.

[Andrew]

Was,nt monsanto(evil bastards)trying to patent the domestic pig