Download or read book The Politics of Genetic Resource Control written by A. Stenson and published by Springer. This book was released on 1999-06-23 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of how genetic resources ought to be owned and controlled has become a controversial international political issue. The authors examine this issue from a normative perspective, discussing the four principles that govern the debate over genetic resource control. These four principles are proprietarian intellectual property rights (the dominant principle, reflecting Western influences); communitarian intellectual property rights (a principle bound up with the rights of indigenous peoples); national sovereignty (the principle at the heart of international law); and common heritage of mankind (the most recent principle reflecting Third World demands).