Re: Stealing DNA

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Fri Aug 17 2001 - 13:13:16 MDT


> Olga Bourlin wrote:
>
>
> In your opinion, is this stealing DNA? (my apologies if this case has
> already been posted - I accidentally deleted a few emails about the
> "stealing DNA" discussion):
> http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=dna15&date=20010815&query=hanna}
>
> Nation & World : Wednesday, August 15, 2001
> Rapist snared with a sleight of straw — and his DNA

Well, no organism was grown from it, so it's not theft, per se. As in
intellectual property, it's not posession of an original copy that is a
crime, it is the unauthorized reproduction, especially with the intent
to make a profit.

In the above case, police are non-profit, did not grow a new organism
from the sample. This seems to be a 'fair use' incident.



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