The Andromeda Strain was on TV the other night, and now a scientist has proposed a theory that SARS might originate in space. Coincidence?

And if there is a connection, can Michael Crichton's agents demand royalties from anyone who catches SARS? After all, corporations are trademarking (and demanding exclusive rights over) everything nowadays from words to prefixes, so why shouldn't Crichton get his cut from space-borne viruses?