Research Tool Patents and Free-Libre Biotechnology: A Unified Perspective

Julien Pénin () and Jean Pierre Wack

Working Papers of BETA from Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg

Abstract: This paper proposes a unified conceptual framework to analyse the multiple role and consequences of patents in the case of biotechnology research tools. We argue that the knowledge/information and independent/complementary nature of research tools define heterogeneous frameworks in which the patent system plays different roles. In particular, using the analogy with the free-libre open source movement in software, we show that patents can promote open innovation by ensuring the freedom of some pieces of knowledge. A strong conclusion of the paper is therefore that, against common belief, an adequate use of the patent system may contribute to preserving freedom of access to upstream research tools within a framework that we call free-libre biotechnology.

Keywords: Intellectual property rights; sequential innovation; open source; life science; collective invention. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D2 O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~ and nep-knm
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2007-24

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