Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!mcnc!uvaarpa!murdoch!biochsn.acc.Virginia.EDU!wrp
From: wrp@biochsn.acc.Virginia.EDU (William R. Pearson)
Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.methds-reagnts
Subject: Re: charges for clones?
Summary: Its OK
Message-ID: <1991May24.232805.3082@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 24 May 91 23:28:05 GMT
References: <0359FCF140002883@YALEMED.BITNET>
Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
Organization: University of Virginia
Lines: 22


	There are a lot of laboratories that literally receive dozens
of requests for clones, or sets of clones, every week. It seems quite
reasonable that they should charge something, and $50 seems fine to
me.  Once you factor in the time required to go back into stocks to
find the clone, make certain that it is still alive, package it up,
package the package, and mail it off, there is no doubt that it costs
the lab $50 - maybe more.  If a lab were to request as many clones as
it sends out, then it might be able to justify the technicians time;
but most labs that send out clones have an enormous balance of
payments problems - everybody wants what they have but very few people
have what they want.  A modest charge helps the balance.

	I recall the story that back when J. Messing was inventing
M13mp7... and  JM101..., he did not have a grant to cover the cost
sending out the vectors and hosts, and had to revert to asking people
for postage stamps (presumably due to the lack of a more
straightforward mechanism for being reimbursed).

Bill Pearson