In the eyes of numerous people and software engineers, who believe that the patent system is stunting the growth of technology development. Some visualize patent laws, especially, those patents created to protect software development. Some may say that, it’s just another way for development company’s to make money through lawsuits. In an article podcast entitled, “The Tuesday Podcast: The Patent War”, which through out both the short article and podcast they mention that tech companies are only fighting over big dollars. They’re putting large amounts of money toward purchasing patents, and they’re not doing it to bring more creativity and innovation. They’re doing it to protect themselves from potential lawsuits. In San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, there’s a legal battle between numerous companies and patents seem to be the weapon of choice.
When focusing attention on patents, its always been thought of as a protection for some type of software, innovation, and or tech development. Patenting now seems to be going as far as protecting the human body. It’s not just the human body that being patented, things like living organisms and plants are some of the things being secured under the patent laws of intellectual property. It’s as if the human body has become a new monopoly. In an article podcast entitled, “Deadly Monopolies? Patenting The Human Body,” medical ethicist and author Harriet Washington discusses that it not that the human body is actually being patent. When focusing on the laws of the government, patenting the human body would fall under the affects of the Anti-Slavery Statutes. Washington does state that an individual can patent his or her cells and tissues. Once those cells and tissues are patented they are sold or licensed to corporations, and those corporations exploits’ those patents. 
On a more balanced subject when focusing on the scope of patents, it’s trusted that some of the more popular brand-name prescription drugs will be coming off the patent security, and will be going generic. Lipitor, which brought in close to $11 billions in sales this past year, will be one of prescriptions drugs to fall off the patent cliff. Other drugs that will soon follow are Plavix, which is a prescription drug for heart disease. Seroquel is a prescription medication made to treat depression, and Nexium is a prescription drug for digestive problem. The reason behind this situation is that patients often times pay more money for the name brand medication, even when their insurance is covering their expenses. A majority of most patients have no choice; unlike Lipitor not many drugs yet have generic competition. So what is there to do…
