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Yes, it is frightening... but that's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to patenting. Here's and example:
There's a type of rice in India called 'Basmati'. It's long-grained and fragrant. generally. not too cheap either
. A company in the US patented the name. Right, they patented the name 'Basmati'. Then turned around and claimed that no one else could use that name for rice anywhere in the world! Fortunately, someone in the Indian Govt. woke up and took the issue to court. But the case had to be fought in a US court.That's just an example. There are tonnes of herbs, etc. that have been used in India for millennia. The Indian market is full of products from these preparations. Nobody, naturally, patents them. They only patent the brand names and logo/packaging designs. But companies in the USA have patented these and gone so far as to say their use is an infringement of copyright! And so it goes...
Don't want to bore everyone with details but it is frightening the kind of monster the patent laws have unleashed.
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Sorry... I wasn't clear... it was/is a combination of patent and trademark laws... should have said trademark when i referred to 'Basmati'. But the patent / trademark also applies to areas such as 'neem' - (from Wikipedia: a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta) for toothpaste as well as skin care; turmeric, also for skin care, as well as a host of others... In some cases, companies are claiming trademark rights, in some, with minor modifications, patent.
Glad you like Basmati. It's pretty good! But there are a host of others as well
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