AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND INTELLECTUAL

Grain was once largely responsible for reproducing itself. If it was so inclined it could trace its ancestry back thousands of years. Now, however, many grains, meat animals, vegetables, fruits and other agricultural products date back only a few generations, and owe their existence and ability to reproduce entirely to scientists. This collection of 24 articles on legal issues raised by genetic engineering covers the diffusion of intellectual property protection under law and global competition, rules and standards for patent law in plant sciences, pollen drift and other inadvertent use, restriction technologies, trade negotiation for knowledge resources, the impact of intellectual property law on agricultural businesses, the economic incentive to innovate, and plant breeders' rights. Six comparative studies cover practice in South America, the EU, the USA, Asia, the Middle East and four address international regulation and its social impact. Distributed by Oxford U. Press. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)