On 1/6/08 19:44, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


In article ,
acha writes:
|
| | If it worked it would be sold in bottles by Monsanto.
| |
| | Doubt it. They can't patent garlic. Or nematodes.
|
| Don't bet on it - they have patented neem, and people's personal DNA.
|
| How have they got away with that? There was a report of some such company
| trying to patent a plant used in medicine, I think. It was too long ago
for
| me to remember the details but it failed because the tree had been around
| for thousands of years and couldn't be considered anyone's property. Does
| anyone remember the details of this? It's so annoying to have it hovering
| on the edge of my memory, especially when something like this comes up!

Yes. It was neem and it didn't fail.

The company called in favours from the USA government, who then leant
heavily on India, whose government eventually capitulated.

The UK is trying to pressure the EU to accept USA patents and their
use, but thank God so far wiser heads have overridden our ********
[ that word is far ruder than any obscenity, but I won't fill in
the gaps].


Neem? Hmmm, don't remember that but I'm sure your memory of this is better
than mine! And no need to fill in the gaps, either.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'