Imagine this: it’s 2080. Your heart isn’t just a meagre organ but a 3D printed wonder. You look down at your new, bionic arm, which is not just a replacement but an upgrade<\/strong>. With rapid advances in stem cell research, engineered tissues, prosthetics, and bionics, the lines between the human body and technology are increasingly blurring, arguably for the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But with these innovations comes a huge question… if a company builds part of your body, do you still own it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oddly enough, body parts have been the centre of legal disputes before. In 1990, John Moore, a resident of Seattle, USA, was given treatment for hairy-celled leukaemia, where he was advised to undergo surgery to remove his spleen. He was also asked for permission to contribute to medical research, which he explicitly refused<\/strong>. Moore sued his doctor after discovering that his cells were being used for research without his permission, and resulted in a lucrative patent. The court ruled that he had no rights over his cells once they removed from his body: he lost. A summary of this interesting case study has been attached in a video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast forward to 2025: say a company patents your lab grown heart, or bionic arm; do they now own this technology that’s inside you? Various companies already limit repairs to medical devices such as pacemakers or implants, meaning you can’t legally fix them without their approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPatents and Parts- Can Someone Own a Piece of You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n