Luca,

 

We seem to be the only people posting on both the Cambia and TDI sites.  I tried to get involved with a project at BIOS but haven't heard back.  I'm finishing up my paper on the bioinformatics database debate, basically my conclusion is that the EU database directive hasn't worked.  The US doesn't need any additional statutory protection for databases.

 

However, I make a distinction between genomics databases and proteomics.  Genomics and the human genome being more of compilation activity, whereas proteomics is more refining information.  The distinctions are important in terms of US copyright law.  Btw Stephen Maurer (one of the founders of this initiative) has been very helpful.   

 

Does anyone know whether a molecular simulation, let's say a NAMD simulation of a protein is patentable?  Is it copyrightable since it is code based?  What about VMD visualizations of proteins?  If I make a model of an amino acid, can I patent it as a program?  Copyright it as a piece of art....

 

-Will