Ancient indigenous DNA and IP rights raised at law conference

An interesting paper, titled Ancient Indigenous Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) and Intellectual Property Rights, was presented at the recent IV International Graduate Legal Research Conference (IGLRC) hosted by King's College London School of Law and Graduate School by Fiona Batt of Bristol University, raised a number of questions and launched a fascinating and attractive topic.

Ms Batt mentioned that, because of the developments in science, body parts and genetic material are becoming 'property' which is protected and controlled by IP rights. She started from the obvious, patent, and then explored traditional knowledge and even trade secrets. But at the end, the question is: who is the owner of ancient indigenous DNA when extracted?

While this appears to be somehow clear, the main challenge is: who would be the owner to prevent such extraction? She brought into attention the American and Western cultures, points out Venezuelan lawyer Patricia Covarrubia, who also presented at the meeting.