Block Me Not: How “Essential” are Patented Genes

Abstract

If the patented gene is not absolutely essential for use by a downstream researcher, in that there are substitutes available to work with or ways in which the patent in question could be circumvented, clearly the patented gene will not block the downstream researcher. In this sense, while the first part of the title, “Block Me Not,” expresses the blocking concern in general (the thousand-mile journey), the latter part, “How ‘Essential’ Are Patented Genes?” is the more specific question that this article seeks to address (the first step in this long and arduous journey)