Question

What do you mean by biopatent? Write its uses and abuses.

Answer 1

Hint: Biological patent is the patent on the invention in the field of biology, where it allows the patent holder to exclude the making, selling, importing, and protecting the invention for a limited period of time.

Complete answer:
- In the biological Patent it includes the biotechnology-related things, and genetically modified organisms, and the genetic material.
- This biopatent can be obtained by an individual or group or a country, for their exclusive rights., examples of this are basmati rice and nature neems products have a patent right to India.
- In some aspects giving the patent to genetic material becomes a controversial thing, where people think that it is unethical to patent the genetic material because it treats life as a commodity.
- Some people say that living materials are obtained naturally, so patents are not applicable to them.
- Whereas the American medical association states that giving patents to genetic material inhibits the research for the patients and it may hinder so many techniques.
- In countries like the United States, even natural biological substances can also get patents, some of the examples are adrenalin, vitamin B12.
- In-country like Japan, patents for biological inventions can also come under the general guidelines for patents.
- European patents cannot grant the processes that may involve the destruction of embryos.
- Even in Australia also, naturally occurring genes cannot be patented.

Note: If there is no any biological patent, it may cause the Biopiracy, which means, that there is a chance of commercial exploitation or monopolization of biological products or genetically related product, example of this is basmati rice which is the origin of India was pirated by the US company.