In this talk, Professor Plomer (Chair in Law and Bioethics, University of Sheffield) argues that, from a legal perspective, the EU ban on hESC patents is seriously flawed.
To her knowledge, it is the first ruling of a supranational court conferring legal protection to frozen embryos on the back of legislation formally relating to patents and in disregard of diversity of moral and legal cultures on hESC research in Europe. Professor Plomer argues that the ruling sets a dangerous constitutional precedent and could have profound influences on the direction of future funding policy and research laws in the European Union. See Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2011/dec/12/eu-ban-stem-cell-patents?INTCMP=SRCH
