02/05/08 Losing the Patent

Losing the Patent. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Up until a few years ago I was not aware that varieties of fruit are subject to the same laws as inventions like the telephone. The Patent. Yes, those ripe juicy apples at the supermarket are subject to patent laws for the work that goes into developing them and from time to time, those patents expire like the one for the Honeycrisp. David Bedford is a research scientist with the University of Minnesota where the Honeycrisp was "born." BEDFORD: I don't think it's going to change anything too much. Really all that happens is that our royalty that they nurseries charge on our behalf comes off. That royalty is used to help further research and development of new varieties. Growers will see a slight difference in their input costs buy Bedford says the consumer probably won't. BEDFORD: It's really a non-economic factor in the whole process. Again the guy that's writing the check might disagree with me when he's having to add the extra $10-thousand dollars on to the bottom line but when you look at all the inputs that is such a minor part of the cost of production. Honeycrisp are harder to grow and handle so there are greater costs involved in its production thus keeping the price up at the grocery store. The patent will expire in November of this year but until then: BEDFORD: And that is sort of critical in that people are actually coming into a propagation season right now. There's a grafting season that they go through at the end of winter and then there's one that happens again in August and legally they're obligated to pay that royalty for anything. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.