Biotechnology and International Law

Description

As with any rapid technological development, the biotechnology revolution is putting great strains on the ability of law to adapt to new challenges and threats. Although there is general agreement on the need to regulate biotechnology in many different fields of human activity (agriculture, life sciences, forensic science) domestic law remains deeply divided over the best approach to take. This book is the first attempt at covering the most pressing legal issues raised by the impact of biotechnologies on different categories of international norms. Through the contribution of a selected group of international scholars and experts from international organizations, the book addresses 1) the international status of genetic resources, both in areas of national jurisdiction and in common spaces such as the international sea bed area and Antarctica; 2) the relevance of environmental principles in the governance of modern biotechnologies; 3) the impact of biotechnologies on trade rules, including intellectual property law; 4) the human rights implications, especially in the field of human genetics; and 5) the intersection between general international law and regional systems, especially those developed in Europe and Latin America. The overall objective of the book is to provide an up-to-date picture of international law as it stands today and to stimulate critical reflection and further research on the solutions that will be required in years to come.

Francesco Francioni is Professor of International Law at the EUI, Florence and the University of Siena. Tullio Scovazzi is Professor of International Law at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

...it is well worth reading from cover to cover because one of the clearest messages of the book is that biotechnology raises a huge number of challenges across a range of hitherto discrete sub-categories of international law...a valuable contribution to the existing literature... -- David Leary * Review of European Community and International Environmental Law, 16 (2) * ...a rich and well-assembled collection of writings...Francioni and Scovazzi's book displays the contributors' diverse knowledge of the many detailed and significant instruments and rules of international law relating to biotechnology, as well as their valuable insights into the directions which need to be explored in order to continue and reinforce the present positive trend toward improved international legal provision for the sustainable use of biodiversity and biotechnology. The book would make a valuable addition to libraries interested in acquisitions in this subject area. -- Caroline Foster * New Zealand Law Journal * ...a timely and interesting illustration of the range of issues arising and still to be resolved in relation to biotech regulation, and the ethical, legal and institutional complexities involved in addressing them...is likely to be of great interest both to those who already have some understanding of the subject-matter, and as a critical introduction to current topics in international biotechnology regulation. -- Ruth Mackenzie * Journal of Environmental Law, Vol. 19 No. 3 * ...a rich and well-assembled collection of writings * New Zealand Law Journal *