The Irony of Patenting a Google Doodle

Google's Doodle About Jonas Salk is Patented.  The Polio Vaccine Isn't

(Google.com)

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/10/28/google_has_a_patent_for_google_doodles_salk_didn_t_patent_the_polio_vaccine.html

by:  Lily Hay Newman

1)  Should there be patents on medicine?  Who might be the best judge of that?  Should Doodles be patented?  How does this issue change if you find out Salk owns several patents?

2)  Who might have differing opinions on this subject?  Would you feel the same if you had a family member with a preventable disease?

3)  How is this issue connected to Ebola?  Is this a science, history, or government question?  In what ways are copyright abuse justified by some?  Music sampling?

4)  What would happen if Salk had patented the Polio vaccine?  What if all vaccines were free?  Would companies spend money to research and develop medicines if they couldn't recover their investment?

5)    What is the significance of this issue?  What is the root of the problem?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can research popular medicines and find out who has benefited financially from them.
2)   Students can research copyright laws as they relate to art and compare/contrast the most interesting cases.
3)  Students can create Google Doodles over issues they feel are important.