The Politics of Genetic Resource Control

by Anthony J. Stenson, Tim S. Gray

The question of how genetic resources ought to be owned and controlled has become an international political issue. The authors examine this issue from a normative perspective, discussing the four principles that govern the debate. These four principles proprietarian intellectual property rights (the dominant principle, reflecting Western influences); communitarian intellectual property rights (a principle bound with the rights of indigenous peoples); national sovereignty (the principle at the heart of international law); and common heritage of mankind (the most recent principle, reflecting Third World demands).

175 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999