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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] ARS Has Patented a Forage Plant that Wards offRuminant Gastrointestinal Nematode

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  • From: "William H Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] ARS Has Patented a Forage Plant that Wards offRuminant Gastrointestinal Nematode
  • Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:46:47 -0600

I can’t speak for them specifically but I know many researchers/universities are simply protecting intellectual property. As you note, tax dollars are used to develop these products, but then large seed companies want to use them without the developers getting anything in return. A patent allows the developers (including Universities/USDA/etc.) to capture a royalty on the plant material once it enters the public sector. This has become necessary as the states and fed have reduced their support for public universities dramatically in the last 2 decades. As a tax-payer you may still be able to get some of that seed free (I’m not sure) if you can find the developers and contact them. It would be perfectly legal. The seed companies will probably only take advantage of the variety to use it in breeding, create a new variety with the resistance trait and patent that variety as it’s own. So it would be good if you could get some of the seed, send some to others and get it into the public sector more thoroughly.

 

Bill

William H. Shoemaker

Sr. Research Specialist, Food Crops

University of Illinois - Crop Sciences

St Charles Horticulture Research Center

535 Randall Road, St Charles, IL, 60174

630-584-7254, FAX-584-4610

wshoemak AT illinois.edu


From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of TxBeeFarmer
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 9:24 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: [Market-farming] ARS Has Patented a Forage Plant that Wards offRuminant Gastrointestinal Nematode

 

This is the link to the article: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100218.htm

 

I'm not sending posting this information because I want you all to know about the ARS findings - although they are very interesting.  What I'm wondering about is the "patent".  What exactly does this mean?  Does it mean ARES owns the grass now and can charge for it if we have it?  If so, how can they take OUR tax dollars to pay for research, patent what they find, and charge us for it?  I sure hope I'm wrong in my thinking!  What else have they patented?!  Please explain this to me.

 

Thanks

TxBeeFarmer (Mark)
West Texas Zone 7b




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