<p>This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p> <p>Researchers are becoming increasingly concerned that the confidentiality of their novel
biomolecule sequences is being jeopardised, particularly when these sequences are either
submitted to sequence databases or uploaded as query terms onto internet-based
bioinformatic software suites. The researcher's fears stem from the fact that the actual
uploading of their sequences acts as a novelty destroying prior disclosure or publication,
and that this may subsequently preclude valid patent protection for the sequences. This
article addresses the key issues involved in the analyses of biomolecules, highlighting
potential risks taken by many researchers in regard to patent protection and suggests
possible ways in which these risks may be mitigated.</p>
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Comp Funct Genomics. 2002 Apr; 3(2):119-126