One way out of a patent quagmire

摘要

The European Patent Office is caught In a taxonomie trap unintentionally set by its constitution. The anty sensible way out that favours supporters of biotechnology conies with Its own set of problems. LAWYERS are fond of fuzziness, for obvious reasons. So they must adore the European Patent Convention, which has its fair share of legal ambiguities, is outdated, and is obstructing the development of industrial plant and animal biotechnology in Europe in a debute that rests on one of science's great but fuzzy disciplines: taxonomy, Ultimately the convention will have to be rewritten, but in a way that is bound either to undermine the biotechnology industry or enrage those who oppose it on ethical grounds.