From TED:
QuoteHow does cancer know it's cancer? At Jay Bradner's lab, they found a molecule that might hold the answer, JQ1 -- and instead of patenting JQ1, they published their findings and mailed samples to 40 other labs to work on. An inspiring look at the open-source future of medical research.
http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_bradner_open_source_cancer_research.html
Too bad the comments are filled with socialist garbage.
Well it's not news that people just don't get it. I have no idea how people can think that patents are part of a free market, given that they are openly a government-supported monopoly (and lauded by those very same socialists as providing incentives for development).