In this episode, we speak about the res nullius construction of human genomic data.

Summary

No one domain of the law holds exclusive sway over human genomic data. Instead, genomic data have a multidimensional legal nature, meaning that multiple legal domains — including property law, privacy law, contract law, and intellectual property law — are all applicable. From a property law perspective, the res nullius construction of genomic data provides a useful way to understand how newly generated genomic sequences are viewed by the law.

Further reading

Thaldar et al. The multidimensional legal nature of personal genomic sequence data: A South African perspective. Frontiers in Genetics.(2022).

Funding

This episode was made possible by a grant from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (award number U01MH127690) under the Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) program. The content of this podcast is solely the responsibility of discussants of the podcast and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health or the U.S. National Institutes of Health.