A number of issues in the innovation policies of modern biotechnology, particularly the impact of patent thickets and anti-commons effects, have emerged lately. Partially as a response to such issues, partially as a natural consequence of biotech shifting towards an information-intensive sector, attempts have emerged, trying - more or less consciously - to adapt the licensing practices and development dynamics of Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) to the brave new world of the life sciences. The question remains whether such approaches make sense for profit-maximizing firms and whether it is conceptually and practically useful to use the "Open Source" meme as a basis for discussion and policy-making in this sector.
Chair: Andrea Glorioso Researcher, Politecnico di Torino; Independent consultant, FLOSS Technology, Law and Policies
Sandra Braman Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and author of CHANGE OF STATE: INFORMATION, POLICY, AND POWER (MIT Press, 2006).
James Love Consumer Project on Technology, Washington, DC
Philippe Aigrain CEO, Sopinspace - Society for Public Information Spaces, Paris
Antony Taubman Acting Director and Head, Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources & Folklore Division of WIPO, Geneva (Mr. Taubman will participate in his personal capacity)