Patent on life allowable—court

Press, 18 June 1980, Page 8

Patent on life allowable—court

NZPA-Reuter Washington: ; I New forms of life develi oped in test tube.s may be patented by their creators, the United States Supreme: ; Court has ruled in a case j against the Government. i !. The Government had ar-1 gued that the patent law did] not cover living organisms. [ The introduction of such patents was also opposed by] environmentalists who said I it would encourage poten-[ itially dangerous genetic' engineering. But the majority of a di-1 vided Supreme Court ruled] that the Government must] grant a patent requested by! Ananda Chakrabarty, a' microbiologist employed by General Electric Company'

:for the test tube-made ■ bac- [ teria used for treating oil 'spills. ■ ; ' Chief Justice Warren Burger said that Mr Chakrabar- : ty's micro-organism constituted a -“manufacture”’or i“a composition of : matter” [covered by the Federal patl ent law. ■ • •-. i He added that Congress [was free to change the patient law to exclude genietically engineered organisms or could draft a new 'law specifically designed for [living things.* . . ' I “But, until Congress takes [such action, this court mdst construe the language of !(the law) as it is — the lan‘guage .. . fairly embraces i (Mr Chakrabarty’s) indention,” he said. 1 ¥ .