# Do I have some sort of copyright rights to my own genome?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 30, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417 "2003-05-30T01:11:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417/1 "2003-05-30T01:11:41Z")
If technology advances to the point that it becomes possible to clone someone from a strand of hair or fingernail clipping and someone does this with me (or any US citizen) in a county when cloning is not outlawed, and brings little astro back into the US at some point, have they violated any copyright (or related) rights I may have to my own genome.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417/2 "2003-05-30T01:16:56Z")
Ha! I love hollywood. Actually, fingernail clippings contain no DNA, and hair only does if the root is attached. Besides that, however, I don’t think genes can be copyrighted, but the _can_ be (and are) patented.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417/3 "2003-05-30T02:11:45Z")
Copyright only applies to written material, movies, sound recordings and the like. It does not apply to natural objects.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417/4 "2003-05-30T02:15:25Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \*
> \*\*Copyright only applies to written material, movies, sound recordings and the like. It does not apply to natural objects. \*\*
It applies to software too, and technically DNA _is_ software, of a sort. I think if someone created a strand of DNA for a new completely new organism from scratch, for example, he could make some claim to it being copyrightable.
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### Author:  [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417/5 "2003-05-30T07:17:46Z")
Ooh! I get to provide a cite for an **astro** question (I always open your threads - they are invariably fresh and original).
SciAm did an article about this: [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00039325-4D85-1CC6-B4A8809EC588EEDF](http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00039325-4D85-1CC6-B4A8809EC588EEDF)
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### Author:  [@Deadmime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deadmime)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-some-sort-of-copyright-rights-to-my-own-genome/178417/6 "2003-05-30T07:22:03Z")
Wasn’t there a case where the exwife of a man had wanted to use the mans sperm to impregnate herself (I believe it was from a spermbank)
I don’t remember what the outcome of that case was, but I’m not sure if the court ruled in his favor or not. I think this was along time ago, or perhaps and episode of Law and Order 🙂