Basmati Rice: US firm withdraws patent claim

[geno@zap.a2000.nl]

On 28 Sep 2000, at 23:02, jim mc nulty wrote:


Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 19:25:55 +0900
From: Ancha Srinivasan <ancha@vtt.co.jp>
Organization: Regional Science Institute
X-Accept-Language: en


Subject: Basmati Rice: US firm withdraws patent claim

Basmati Rice: US firm withdraws patent claim
UNI
(New Delhi, September 27)

IN A major success for India's effort to retain its commercial
interest on
Basmati rice exports, Ricetec Inc, a Texas-based US company, 
which had
obtained a patent for 'Basmati rice lines and grains', has been 
forced
to withdraw certain claims in its US patent.

Indian Government, which challenged the company through APEDA
(Agricultural and
Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), had filed 
a
re-examination application contesting some of the claims of the
patent.

Ricetec Inc has now withdrawn the claims, which could have 
adversely
affected the commercial interests of Basmati rice exporters.

With this development, the danger to Basmati rice exports to the US
has been successfully averted as this patent could be used to
interfere in the export of Indian Basmati rice.

APEDA's request for re-examination to the US patent office included
evidence that Basmati rice grains were being produced in India since
long, prior to the date of the patent, and had the characteristics,
which were now being claimed as unique by Ricetec Inc.

APEDA's action demonstrates the Government's resolve to protect
India's Basmati
interests against any attempts to misappropriate the same.


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