There may never be another YOU.

But if there ever should be, would you have
any legal rights to the original design?

As you go through life, you leave your DNA behind. . . It can be copied and 'read' like a genetic software program detailing your exact construction. What if someone decides to decode your DNA to get information on you or patent some of your genes because they might have a market value? What action can you take?

At this point, it seems YOU DO NOT OWN YOUR GENES. That is to say you have no personal authority to prevent your genome (your unique DNA sequence spelled out in genetic code) from being replicated by others for a variety of potential uses.

DNA is becoming merchandise. Since the Supreme Court opened the door to the patenting of animals in the early 1980's, industries, institutions and government agencies have granted patents on the genetic cell lines of life forms progressing from bacterium to human beings. Hundreds of patents on human cell lines have already been issued and with the completion of the Human Genome Project, a new wave of patent applications can be expected.

There are many good legal and ethical questions to be raised about the Genetic Revolution, so if prudence (or merely a love of novelty) is one of YOUR inherited biological traits, take advantage of the first means available to stake a claim on your genes. Download the Genetic Code Copyright certificate (PDF-Acrobat Plug-in Required). This simple fill-in form offers you a means to proclaim ownership of your individual genetic identity. It is a symbolic gesture of your claim to rights that is not a legally recognized act at this time.

Become a Certified Original Human.

Larry Miller © 2000

NOTE: The Genetic Code Copyright certificate project was publicly initiated in 1992. You have my permission to use this form to claim copyright of your own genome. Please note, the form itself is copyrighted (1992, 2000) and may not be otherwise used for any commercial purpose.