Developments in biotechnology and genomics have moved the issue of patenting scientific and technological inventions toward the center of interest. In particular, the patentability of genes of plants, animals, or humans and of genetically modified (parts of) living organisms has been discussed, and questioned, from various normative perspectives. This paper aims to contribute to this debate. For this purpose, it first explains a number of relevant aspects of the theory and practice of patenting. The focus is on a special and increasingly significant type of patents, namely product patents. The paper provides three general arguments against the concept and practice of product patenting. The first argument briefly considers the claim that patents are legitimate because they promote socially useful innovation. Against this claim, it is argued that product patents may hamper rather than promote such innovation. The second and main argument concludes that product patents are not adequately based on actual technological inventions, as they should be according to the usual criteria of patentability. The principal moral issue is that product patents tend to reward patentees for inventions they have not really made available. The final argument proposes a method for patenting the heat of the sun. Assuming that granting this patent will be generally considered absurd, the argument exposes a further, fundamental problem of the concept and practice of product patenting.

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利用抽象的可能性：对产品专利的概念和实践的批判

生物技术和基因组学的发展已将科技发明专利问题推向了关注的焦点。特别是，植物、动物或人类的基因以及转基因（部分）生物体的基因的可专利性已经从各种规范的角度进行了讨论和质疑。本文旨在为这场辩论做出贡献。为此，它首先解释了专利申请理论和实践的一些相关方面。重点是一种特殊且日益重要的专利，即产品专利。本文针对产品专利的概念和实践提出了三个一般性论点。第一个论点简要考虑了专利是合法的，因为它们促进了对社会有用的创新。针对这一说法，有人认为，产品专利可能会阻碍而不是促进这种创新。第二个也是主要的论点得出结论，产品专利并没有充分基于实际的技术发明，因为它们应该根据可专利性的通常标准。主要的道德问题是，产品专利倾向于奖励专利权人尚未真正提供的发明。最后一个论点提出了一种为太阳的热量申请专利的方法。假设授予这项专利通常被认为是荒谬的，那么该论点揭示了产品专利的概念和实践的另一个根本问题。因为它们应该根据可专利性的通常标准。主要的道德问题是，产品专利倾向于奖励专利权人尚未真正提供的发明。最后一个论点提出了一种为太阳的热量申请专利的方法。假设授予这项专利通常被认为是荒谬的，那么该论点揭示了产品专利的概念和实践的另一个根本问题。因为它们应该根据可专利性的通常标准。主要的道德问题是，产品专利倾向于奖励专利权人尚未真正提供的发明。最后一个论点提出了一种为太阳的热量申请专利的方法。假设授予这项专利通常被认为是荒谬的，那么该论点揭示了产品专利的概念和实践的另一个根本问题。