Can't believe it says this on my grapes...

[lesa]

I bought a bag of grapes at the grocery store, saw some writing on it and was very surprised to see this:
The recipient of the produce contained in this package agrees not to propagate or reproduce any portion of the produce including "but not limited to" seeds, stems, tissue and fruit.

Holy! These are grapes grown in the US with the label ROSA. As scary as this is to me- I did giggle a little- they are seedless grapes! I am beginning to think all of our gardening is having an effect on big business??

 

[vfem]

Its all patient this day in age! :/

 

[hoodat]

Oh oh. Sounds like you got some GMO grapes. Won't they be satisfed till everything is GMO?

 

[Warthog]

Yes definately sounds like GMO, that is one of the regulaltions of GMO produced items, that you cannot propogate from the plants, seeds etc.

I would certainly be looking for different grapes next time.

 

[journey11]

Good eye! I thought gmo too.

 

[seedcorn]

It's the breeder wanting to protect generations of breeding from anyone else trying to take a shortcut.

Is Ag the only industry where you aren't allowed to protect your investment?

 

[vfem]

It's the breeder wanting to protect generations of breeding from anyone else trying to take a shortcut.

Is Ag the only industry where you aren't allowed to protect your investment?

Last time I checked AG has plenty of protected patents out there.... much longer and MANY more then people in literature and art do. Those patents only extend the life of the writer, or the artist. They expire with the person. Even medical drugs have temporary patents. Once those patents end other companies can duplicate those drugs and make a 'generic' version. (This is why clariton went over the counter, so they still could profit from their drug when they no longer could get $80 for a month supply and generics were coming out to steal sales.)

I do think Ag should be the same way with profitable items... there should be limited lifetime patents... not forever!

If someone created a rose in 1895 and patented it... when they died the patent should have expired... they profited for their lifetime and its over!

 

[ducks4you]

When the govenment intrudes in our lives, it makes us ALL into criminals, even unwittingly.

 

[seedcorn]

It's the breeder wanting to protect generations of breeding from anyone else trying to take a shortcut.

Is Ag the only industry where you aren't allowed to protect your investment?

Last time I checked AG has plenty of protected patents out there.... much longer and MANY more then people in literature and art do. Those patents only extend the life of the writer, or the artist. They expire with the person. Even medical drugs have temporary patents. Once those patents end other companies can duplicate those drugs and make a 'generic' version. (This is why clariton went over the counter, so they still could profit from their drug when they no longer could get $80 for a month supply and generics were coming out to steal sales.)

I do think Ag should be the same way with profitable items... there should be limited lifetime patents... not forever!

If someone created a rose in 1895 and patented it... when they died the patent should have expired... they profited for their lifetime and its over!

interesting thought. So people shouldn't be allowed to pass on their life's work w/out someone else stealing it? So when your g'parents died, it was a free for all w/neighbors? of course not. Ag does not have a "lifetime" on traits, genetics, etc.

Common misconception among non-ag is that genetics are patented. The process of putting them together is what is patented. If you can breed a similiar genetic package w/out using their lines (ag uses marker genes to verify how they bred something), you are fine. when competitor marker gene shows up, their is only one way it got there............get ready lawyers.

 

[Northernrose]

I believe that plant patents only last 20 years and it can take 20 years of work to develop a plant worth patenting. Especially when working with fruits that take several years to produce. Say you take plant A and cross with plant B and plant 1000's of seedlings and then after a 10 year trial only one has proven worthy of keeping. I would patent it.

Those seedless grapes found in stores can be cloned by tissue culture in a lab and the growers are trying to protect their hard work with the patent.

Here is an example of a table grape that was developed from complex breeding between four other grapes:

"Fantasy Seedless table grape-
Large, bluish-black, pale green flesh. Sweet, superb quality. Extremely vigorous vine. Midseason (early August in Fresno, Calif.). Derived from Emperor, Black Rose, Red Malaga, Muscat. 100 hours. Self-fruitful"



US plant patents:
"An application for a plant patent consists of the same parts as other applications. The term of a plant patent shall be 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, if the application contains a specific reference to an earlier filed application under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121 or 365(c), from the date the earliest such application was filed."