Patented Virus = Breaking the law?

A patented virus?

Mimi and Eunice – http://mimiandeunice.com

Mimi and Eunice – http://mimiandeunice.com

Transcript

  • Box 1. Eunice: Achoo
  • Box 1. Mimi: I’ve patented the cold virus, you’re infringing! (Paper: lawsuit)
  • Box 2. Eunice: Your patent won’t stop anyone from getting colds!
  • Box 3. Mimi: You just think you should get everything for free.

Vocabulary

  • Achoo: this a way to represent the sound that someone makes when they sneeze.
  • patent (v.) /ˈpeɪ.tənt/ to get the official legal right to make or sell an invention.
  • cold (n.) /kəʊld/ a common illness which makes you sneeze
  • virus (n.) /ˈvaɪə.rəs/ an extremely small piece of organic material that causes disease.
  • infringe (v.)  /ɪnˈfrɪndʒ/ (formal) to break a rule or law.
  • lawsuit (n.) /ˈlɔːsuːt/ a legal complaint against someone
  • patent (n.)  /ˈpeɪ.tənt/ the official legal right to make or sell an invention for a particular number of years.

Context

  • This comic strip is making fun of the fact that more and more things are getting patented. Since a few years ago, even plants and other organisms can also be patented. Can you imagine if one day you need to give some money to someone when you are ill because they have patented the virus?

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