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I'm sure if someone opened a commercial scale operation, at least in the US, they'd be able to sue, but you're right that as soon as it goes worldwide there's no practical way to prevent "piracy".

It'll be interesting to see if/how they try to lock it down genetically, I think it's possible to make the plants unable to produce seeds, but propagation is trickier. Monsanto might have some tips for them.

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What if someone inserted the gene in a human embryo, but didn’t pay the royalty? Would the pregnancy have to be aborted to protect the IP, or would it be enough to cease and desist future distribution of the gene via castration? I mean it sounds harsh but the parent did violate intellectual property law.

IP schipey, I want my lumen-man!

Human rights have priority over IP rights.

There's a photographer suing a tattoo artist over this right now. The outcome will be interesting.

But I'm sure they are not proposing killing off the tattooed person.

No, but the verdict could have cost an arm and a leg.

@GP: Yes, but what does the law say about transhuman rights? At what point has one added/removed things that they’re no longer a natural person?

the photographer already lost.

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