Andrew Dilnot

A Penny For Your Thoughts

In today's world everything from photos of the Spice Girls to Aids drugs is copyrighted and patented, making some very rich while others die of starvation or disease.

The likes of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, James Watson and Francis Crick, however, didn't consider

" We get fields of research that are ring-fenced by patents and people can't move. It could be detrimental to progress."

Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College and Chairman of Glaxo SmithKline

their discoveries as their own personal property, but as information to be placed at the service of humanity.

Andrew Dilnot examines where the balance should lie between providing incentives for innovation and achieving more global justice and fairness.

Producer: Ingrid Hassler