The colloquium, titled "Commerce: Patenting Genetic Products," is one of four components of the yearlong program "Law and the Human Genome Project: Research, Medicine, and Commerce," co-sponsored by the School of Law's Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and the School of Medicine.

Led by F. Scott Kieff, associate professor of law at Washington University and the John M. Olin Senior Research Fellow in Law, Economics, and Business at Harvard University, and by Charles R. McManis, professor of law at Washington University, this final colloquium will address the patenting of genetic products, including the research tools and processes widely used in academia and industry.

The colloquium's keynote speaker is Robin Jacob, a high court judge of England and Wales and a judge of the patents court of England and Wales. Along with Kieff and McManis, additional speakers include numerous professors, executives and judges from around the world.

The format for the colloquium will emphasize discussion among the speakers and responses to questions from the audience. The topics to be explored and colloquium events are:

Today

• 9-12:30 p.m.: The Case for Property Rights -- paper presentations, commentary, discussion
• 12:30-2 p.m.: Lunch
• 2-5 p.m.: Transactions Over Genetics in Academia and in Business -- paper presentations, commentary, discussion

• 9-12:30 p.m.: Comparisons With Other Technologies and Other Legal Regimes -- paper presentations, commentary, discussion
• 12:30-2 p.m.: Lunch
• 2-4 p.m.: Keynote address, commentary, discussion
• 4 p.m.: Reception