Drugmakers Are Set to Pay 23andMe Millions to Access Consumer DNA

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 433 points –
Drugmakers Are Set to Pay 23andMe Millions to Access Consumer DNA
bloomberg.com

Drugmakers Are Set to Pay 23andMe Millions to Access Consumer DNA::GSK will pay the DNA testing company $20 million for non-exclusive access to genetic data.

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That somehow makes sense. But still, shouldn't you be able to own "the copyright" for your own DNA? If not there should be some legislation for that I think.

No way man, you're not a corporation so you don't get to own anything.

I believe 23 and me stated in the past that they own the data that they process, so in essence if you, or a family member submit their DNA to them, then they own that DNA and part of the DNA of the relatives of whom submitted the sample.

They don't own the DNA itself, but they do own the rights to the resulting sequence. It's akin to a biography--you don't own the person's life, but the author put it down on paper and owns the rights to the book.

Multiple companies sequencing the same DNA don't end up in copyright spats because the DNA itself isn't copyrightable.

Right, sorry. That's what I meant that they own the data they process. The reason why I went to owning your DNA is more towards that fact that they are processing or digitizing your DNA and the average consumer doesn't have the power to sue them for their processed data like one of these other companies or a government agency to regulate them. But maybe I exaggerated

Eh, they have about as much power over that as they do any other privacy breaches. It being DNA doesn't make a huge difference

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