Open Access, Intellectual Property, and How Biotechnology Becomes a New Software Science

TL;DR

This paper explores how adopting software-like intellectual property frameworks could revitalize innovation in the pharmaceutical industry by drawing parallels between drugs and software and analyzing research publishing trends.

Contribution

It proposes that applying computing's rich IP ecosystem to biosciences may accelerate innovation and discusses the analogy between drugs and software programs.

Findings

Computers and software have complex IP frameworks that could inform bioscience IP strategies.

Research publishing trends indicate increasing openness and software-like approaches in life sciences.

Potential for software-inspired IP models to enhance pharmaceutical innovation.

Abstract

Innovation is slowing greatly in the pharmaceutical sector. It is considered here how part of the problem is due to overly limiting intellectual property relations in the sector. On the other hand, computing and software in particular are characterized by great richness of intellectual property frameworks. Could the intellectual property ecosystem of computing come to the aid of the biosciences and life sciences? We look at how the answer might well be yes, by looking at (i) the extent to which a drug mirrors a software program, and (ii) what is to be gleaned from trends in research publishing in the life and biosciences.