And only 60 of the plant applications are currently under review. Well, I'm sure there's a lot of pressure on them commercially. Because there's a lot of stuff not being done in Canada, and a lot of people are probably, when they can, leaving for the United States where they can patent their creations. In a letter in the Montreal Gazette last week, Ottawa lawyer Maureen McTeer, who was once on a government commission investigating the issue, called for Parliament to act in light of the appeal decision. Or it could propose legislation to deal specifically with the issue of ownership and innovation in biotechnology.
Patent lawyers acknowledge, but generally downplay, the social policy concerns.
That was just taking place irrespective. It's just whether or not Canada would be able to have some stake in that commercialization or potential business. Like Davies in the patent office, Morrow believes that changing the Patent Act is not the right way for Parliament to regulate the commercialization of life. We patent all kinds of things that are dangerous, and we control them with laws that relate to dangerous substances. The patent law is one thing, and laws that protect the public from hazardous processes is something else.