3 ms·

> Side note to your main point: the IP issues around GMOs are little different than the IP issues around other types of agritech, so I don't think it's a huge c

by hannob 7y ago

> Side note to your main point: the IP issues around GMOs are little different than the IP issues around other types of agritech, so I don't think it's a huge concern. I'm no expert on the issue, but from what I'm aware this is not true. At least in the EU it seems there's now largely a consensus that non-GMO plants can't be patented: https://legacy.euroseeds.eu/european-patent-office-follows-eu-wishes-and-limits-patents-plants https://legacy.euroseeds.eu/european-patent-office-follows-e... There are still other IP rights that can apply to plants, but patents are a very different beast.

epistasis 7y ago
This may differ based on jurisdiction; in the US plants (including fungi) are patentable. From the US Patent Office: https://www.uspto.gov/patents-getting-started/patent-basics/types-patent-applications/general-information-about-35-usc-161 https://www.uspto.gov/patents-getting-started/patent-basics/... As just one example, the University of Minnesota got $6M in payments for their patent on HoneyCrisp apples before the patent expired: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/10/11/honeycrisp https://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/10/11/honeycrisp