Disclosure Statement: Dr. Rothbaum receives research funding and is entitled to sales royalty from and owns equity in Virtually Better, Inc, which is developing products related to the research described in this paper. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Emory University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.

By acceptance of this article, the publisher and/or recipient acknowledges the U.S. Government's right to retain a nonexclusive, royalty-free licence in and to any copyright covering this paper. This research was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy Division of Engineering and Geosciences of the Office of the Basic Energy Sciences (Brookhaven National Laboratory Contrac...

In genetic diagnostics, the emergence of a so-called "patent thicket" is imminent. Such an overlapping set of patent rights may have restrictive effects on further research and development of diagnostic tests, and the provision of clinical diagnostic services. Currently, two models that may facilitate access to and use of patented genetic inventions are attracting much debate in various nationa...