All your chapatis belong to us...

[BillyTK]

Monsanto's chapati patent raises Indian ire (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1135675,00.html)

Monsanto, the world's largest genetically modified seed company, has been awarded patents on the wheat used for making chapati - the flat bread staple of northern India.
The patents give the US multinational exclusive ownership over Nap Hal, a strain of wheat whose gene sequence makes it particularly suited to producing crisp breads.

Another patent, filed in Europe, gives Monsanto rights over the use of Nap Hal wheat to make chapatis, which consist of flour, water and salt.
[...]
Campaigners in India say that there are concerns that people might end up paying royalties to Monsanto for making or selling chapatis.

"The commercial interest is that Monsanto can charge people for using the wheat or take a cut from its sale," said Devinder Sharma, who runs the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security in Delhi.

I find the whole idea that I could be paying royalties to Monsanto on my Friday night takeaway abolutely gobsmacking. And that by identifying a gene sequence, some company can take out a patent on it. How long before Monsanto patents spaghetti?

[Donks]

I'll get really worried when they patent human fingernails or hair and we all have to pay them for just being.

[Jon_in_london]

Christ, you so-called 'skeptics' are pathetic!

OOooooo!! look!!! Monsanto has a new patent! That means that all the poor Indian farmers are going to be paying billions to the evil big company {that has invested millions in R&D to produce a marketable product and make an honest buck}!!

Perhaps Monsanto has intelelctual property rights?
Perhaps nobody is holding a gun to anybodies head and forcing them to buy Monsanto seed?
Perhaps nobody will but their product if it isnt good value?
Perhaps they will use the same wheat they have always used?
Perhaps market forces will prevail?

No, of course not! Lets just start indignant panicking about how the evil scientists at Monsatano are trying to kill us all in a very obscure and indirect way!

And by the way Billy- you need to do more than just sequence a bit of DNA before you can get a patent on a unique crop strain.

Typical knee-jerk reaction from a greenpeace-brainwashed intellectualy bankrupt gullible idiot.

[Jon_in_london]

Originally posted by Donks
I'll get really worried when they patent human fingernails or hair and we all have to pay them for just being.

You should be worried when they patent innane comments.

[Tony]

Originally posted by Donks
....we all have to pay them for just being.

You already do that now, ever hear of income taxes?

[DanishDynamite]

Jon_in_london:Perhaps Monsanto has intelelctual property rights?
Perhaps nobody is holding a gun to anybodies head and forcing them to buy Monsanto seed?
Perhaps nobody will but their product if it isnt good value?
Perhaps they will use the same wheat they have always used?
Perhaps market forces will prevail?Perhaps you should read the article.

From the article:Monsanto inherited a patent application when it bought the cereals division of the Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever in 1998, and the patent has been granted to the new owner.

Unilever acquired Nap Hal seeds from a publicly funded British plant gene bank. Its scientists identified the wheat's combination of genes and patented them as an "invention".
So, from the article it appears that in fact Unilever just sequenced a bit of DNA before getting a patent. If you know more about the case, perhaps you could share.

[Grammatron]

Originally posted by DanishDynamite
Jon_in_london:Perhaps you should read the article.

From the article:
So, from the article it appears that in fact Unilever just sequenced a bit of DNA before getting a patent. If you know more about the case, perhaps you could share.

As far as I know, and I could be wrong, but the money in the patenting of DNA for seeds is only in selling seeds. If somebody tries to sell the same kind of seed they have to pay royalty to the owner of the patent. I don't see how anyone could seriously suggest any byproduct of the seed would be subject to royalty as well.

[DanishDynamite]

Grammatron:As far as I know, and I could be wrong, but the money in the patenting of DNA for seeds is only in selling seeds. If somebody tries to sell the same kind of seed they have to pay royalty to the owner of the patent. I don't see how anyone could seriously suggest any byproduct of the seed would be subject to royalty as well. This is my understanding as well. The wording in the article does leave room for doubt, though: Another patent, filed in Europe, gives Monsanto rights over the use of Nap Hal wheat to make chapatis...
What is interesting is that, from my reading of the article, it seems that this type of wheat has been used for years in India. It is only now, with the granting of this patent, that royalties may suddenly have to be paid.

[Grammatron]

Originally posted by DanishDynamite
What is interesting is that, from my reading of the article, it seems that this type of wheat has been used for years in India. It is only now, with the granting of this patent, that royalties may suddenly have to be paid. ]

I'm really against patenting plants to begin with, but patenting something they had no hand in creating really angers me. I hope all the Indian farmers and government ignore the patent and just do what they have been doing for generations before.

[Matabiri]

Originally posted by Grammatron


I'm really against patenting plants to begin with, but patenting something they had no hand in creating really angers me. I hope all the Indian farmers and government ignore the patent and just do what they have been doing for generations before.

Or say to Monsanto, "we'll pay you royalties on every seed you prove contains your DNA."

How much does it cost to sequence DNA? What will the royalties be worth?

[Charlie Monoxide]

IIRC Monsanto sells the genetically modified seeds (ie Roundup Ready corn). The farmer is NOT allowed to use (or sell, pass on etc.) 2nd generation seeds.

This has always been part of agriculture. Grow plant, harvest plant, keep some of the harvest for re-planting next season.

That scheme doesn't work for Monsanto, and I'm sure they will vigorously pursue any poor schmoe who doesn't follow (presumably signed contract) their plan.

Charlie (sowing the seeds of discontent) Monoxide

PS A lot of these "new" modified plants were brought about by our tax dollars at work.

PPS New World Order Economics at work

[Grammatron]

Originally posted by Charlie Monoxide
IIRC Monsanto sells the genetically modified seeds (ie Roundup Ready corn). The farmer is NOT allowed to use (or sell, pass on etc.) 2nd generation seeds.

This has always been part of agriculture. Grow plant, harvest plant, keep some of the harvest for re-planting next season.

That scheme doesn't work for Monsanto, and I'm sure they will vigorously pursue any poor schmoe who doesn't follow (presumably signed contract) their plan.

Charlie (sowing the seeds of discontent) Monoxide

PS A lot of these "new" modified plants were brought about by our tax dollars at work.

PPS New World Order Economics at work

I thought the way they do it is modify the seeds to not yield any fertile seeds, thus forcing them to go back to Monsanto for more seeds.

[mummymonkey]

What's the situation with 'normal' seed just now? How do seed companies make money and what pays for their research into new crop strains? Surely farmers buy new seed each year anyway?