What is RAFIs position on life patents?
Mooney: RAFI took the position in 1977 that intellectual property rights are not an appropriate method to create innovation. They actually stifle innovation. This is not just true of biological materials, but of sewing machines, telecommunications equipment and just about everything else. We see no evidence in history that shows that patents stimulate innovation. They do create monopolies, that’s for sure. We think there is a need in society to find ways to stimulate innovation that have not been explored. Intellectual property rights are not an appropriate method to create innovation. They actually stifle innovation. We think there is a need in society to find ways to stimulate innovation that have not been explored. We are now seeing the Patent Office providing permission for patents on SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms — the smallest unit of genetic variability). This is driftnet patenting. It allows a company to simply go into the genome of a plant, animal or even a person and
