Politics of Genetic Resource Control

The question of how genetic resources ought to be owned and controlled has become a controversial international political issue. The authors examine this issue from a normative perspective, discussing the four principles that govern the debate over genetic resource control. These four principles are proprietarian intellectual property rights (the dominant principle, reflecting Western influences), communitarian intellectual property rights (a principle bound up with the rights of indigenous peoples), national sovereignty (the principle at the heart of international law), and common heritage of mankind (the most recent principle reflecting Third World demands).