Article from Wired:
Companies doing genomic research, like Redwood City's Maxygen, have a problem. To make money, the companies feel they need to control the rights to the DNA sequences they uncover. But patenting these sequences is ethically and legally tricky.
So, Maxygen's scientists and lawyers are proposing a downright odd solution to this pickle: Encode the DNA sequences as MP3s or other music files and then copyright these genetic "tunes." There's been software on the market for years that can make this switch.
As the "authors" of these DNA-based songs, Maxygen could, in theory, control the rights to the compositions for 95 years or more -- as opposed to the 17 years given under current patent law.
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