One of the first cases where an open source approach to technology was effectively implemented occurred in 1911, when Henry Ford won a challenge to a patent held a group of capital monopolists on the design of a 2 cycle gasoline engine. Once the patent was overturned, the blue print for the technology was effectively made freely available to anyone interested. Thus, open source was born.

Open source projects have been changing the way we interact with the world over the past 20 years. While most prolific in the software sector (Firefox is an open source project!) the open source philosophy is increasingly applied to a diverse array of fields.

We know it’s the right fit for biotechnology. While patents might serve a purpose in many applications, they are horribly misguided for cancer treatment. In fact, intellectual property has been stifling innovation for over 60 years in drug development. We need to share our knowledge, research and techniques to have a real shot at beating cancer, not hide them behind fees, licenses and walls. We want anyone with a bright idea to be able to reuse our work and not worry about lawsuits or litigation. We want a cure, an effective treatment!

What open source means for Pink Army is that we won’t file patents. Any knowledge we discover, any drugs or treatments we develop will be made freely available for other researchers, scientists and practitioners to use at their discretion. We’re in this together!