Are ecological processes that select beneficial traits in agricultural microbes nature's intellectual property rights?

Kothamasi, David and Vermeylen, Saskia and Deepika, Sharma (2023) Are ecological processes that select beneficial traits in agricultural microbes nature's intellectual property rights? Nature Biotechnology, 41 (10). 1381–1384. ISSN 1087-0156 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01966-7)

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Abstract

Novel beneficial traits in agricultural microbes represent inventive steps of nature, but the inability of patent laws to reward nonhuman inventors has led to conflicts over microbial ownership rights and presents barriers to the sharing of benefits.