Database Protection

The term “bioinformatics” referred to “the study of information processes in biotic systems.” “Bioinformatics involves the acquisition, organization, storage, analysis and visualization of information contained within biological molecules.” Bioinformatics data comprise "(1) biological sequences such as DNA, RNA, and protein sequences; (2) databases in which these sequences are organized; and (3) software and hardware designed to create, access, organize, and analyze information contained within these sequences and databases.” The importance of these databases stems from the sophisticated algorithmic modeling used to determine inferences and patterns among the data. This chapter focuses on the legal issues associated specifically with the organization of these data, through the technological, contractual, and legal regimes under which these databases are populated and operated. Here we will define a “bioinformatics database” to be one constructed for the storage, dissemination, and analysis of biological data. A bioinformatics database will generally involve “persistent sets of data that are maintained in a consistent state over essentially indefinite periods of time” To be of any use, all legal and practical methods of protecting the database must assure the persistence - integrity, reliability, and resiliency - of the data over time.