Whereas government or international public institutions once performed most agricultural research, now private firms are taking the lead in applying the tools of genetic engineering to agriculture. When corporations (and increasingly public agencies too) develop new agricultural biotechnology products or processes or new crop varieties, they often seek legal rights over the intellectual property these innovations represent. Many are concerned that corporations’ efforts to protect their profits will isolate developing countries from the benefits of important innovations by blocking access to new developments by public and nonprofit researchers.