From time to time, there have been stories about countries asserting ownership of pathogens for a variety of diseases. Indonesia's Minister of Health is the latest, and the story took a darker turn when the Indonesian government accused U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit Two (NAMRU-2) scientists of profiteering off its "sovereign" viruses and allegedly manufacturing the H5N1 bird flu in a biological warfare scheme link here. As a practical matter, the H5N1 strain is not limited to Indonesia and the fear is that the most deadly strain will cross national borders and kill millions before an effective vaccine can be developed. But it is also in Indonesia's interest to have the world working on cures for its own benefit.

This isn't the usual sort of intellectual property, but the monopoly that Indonesia wants to create is certainly akin to that of copyright and equally objectionable.