Biobazaar: The Open Source Revolution and Biotechnology

Australian biologist and lawyer Hope challenges the ""commercialization of life sciences research over the final quarter of the last century"" in this rigorous, closely reasoned book. Referencing Thomas Kuhn's groundbreaking volume, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Hope takes a hard look at intellectual property law, which currently protects monopolistic corporations' right to inflate prices for ""life-saving drugs or life-sustaining new crops."" Sensing ""a paradigm shift in the values underpinning life sciences research,"" Hope seeks to readdress these policies by applying the model of open-source software to the biotech field. She finds a keen analogy in the Microsoft-Linux conflict, which ultimately broke Microsoft's monopoly and allowed market forces to operate unhindered, ultimately lifting all ships, and devotes an entire chapter to open source licensing which would end ""proprietary exclusivity"" while maintaining the principles of intellectual property (permitting use or distribution ""for free or for a fee-without having to pay royalties to the licensor""). While the plan seems a stretch-necessitating international agreement to revise existing treaties-Hope is optimistic, providing a provocative, highly intelligent and practical argument on a hot topic; though it's no easy read, policy wonks and scientists will find much to appreciate.