I am officially Open Source DNA (Score 1)

I hereby share my unique genetic code with the rest of the world and am more than happy to give out free samples...especially to large-breasted 20-ish women. Now that that's out of the way... It seems to me that there's a middle ground to be walked. For example, it's ludicrous to think that Monsanto (or some other giant corporation) would be able to simply point to an apple tree and say "We're patenting that DNA". That's public domain and should fall under the laws pertaining to that sort of thing. On the other hand, should Monsanto (or some other giant corporation) splice together some apple DNA that's noticably different (maybe containing natural antibiotics to help fight stomach ulcers, for example, or drought/cold tolerance that far exceeds the norm) then Monsanto SHOULD receive a patent on that DNA...but it would be up to Monsanto (or some other giant corporation) to protect that patent by controlling the propagation of the DNA. If some honeybee cross-pollinates the super apple with the apple tree in my backyard and my fruit then contains some of Monsanto's patented characteristics that's Monsanto's problem, not mine, and should not be legally actionable. Notice that this also builds in some greed-driven checks on the spread of genetically-modified organisms...two birds in one stone. If we want to see a biotech future we need to understand that a good chunk of the R&D resources are concentrated in the corporate sector and that we'll need to find a way to both encourage and control development of these technologies.