Hope Not Hype - Third World Network

Growing More Food on Less (Intellectual) Property
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economic consequences of the privatization of the scientific commons. Rather than simply
serving to facilitate a “market for ideas,” IP[R] may indeed restrict the diffusion of scientific
research and the ability of future researchers to “stand on the shoulders of giants,” at least for
research of the type published in Nature Biotechnology (Murray and Stern, 2007, p. 683).
Murray and Stern were careful in their interpretations. They would neither claim to
know how IPR might inhibit the knowledge commons nor whether this would produce a
net negative balance on social innovation or commercialization. Their research should be
noted for definitively demonstrating that the quest for IPR in the public sector is decreasing
the size of the knowledge commons.
The Assessment text
Modern biotechnology is largely in the
possession of the private sector.
Global Summary for Decision Makers
While public private partnerships are to
be encouraged the establishment and
enforcement of codes of conduct by
universities and research institutes can
help avoid conflicts of interest and
maintain focus on sustainability and
development in AKST when private
funding complements public sector funds.
(p. 7)
Universities and research institutes
receiving substantial private funding may
need to set in place oversight mechanisms
and codes of conduct that preserve their
independence. (p. 20)
(From Global Summary for Decision
Makers by IAASTD, ed. Copyright ©
2009 IAASTD. Reproduced by permission
of Island Press, Washington, D.C.)
The private sector accounts for 74% of the
[intellectual property in agriculture
biotechnology], much of it aggregated into
a few very large IP[R] portfolios at major
corporations, the top five of which control
41% in the United States. This percentage
is likely to be an underestimate, as a
portion of the public-sector portfolio has
also been licensed to companies in the
private sector. The rest of the private sector,
including independent biotechnology
startups, holds 33% of agricultural
biotechnology IP[R] (Graff et al., 2003, p.
994).
While there is some intellectual
property held by individuals and companies
from the developing world, most of these
owners reside in developed countries.
Industrialized countries hold 97% of
patents worldwide, and more than 80% of
patents granted in developing countries
belong to individuals or corporations based in industrialized countries…even pragmatic
analysts from the North are concerned that future innovations will be limited under an emerging
industry structure where the top five biotechnology firms control more than 95% of gene
transfer patents (Sagar et al., 2000, p. 3).