13 companies own 80% of GM patents
This is London
February 23, 1999
by Jo Revill Health Correspondent
More than 80 per cent of the patents covering genetically
modified foods and their technology are held by a small
number of companies, it emerged today.
The ownership of the food chain came under fresh scrutiny
as a major public debate opened in London this morning on
the patenting of genetic information, encompassing both GM
foods and human cloning.
A computer search of 1,608 patents covering GM food
technology reveals that 1,296 belong to only 13 commercial
organisations. A further 256 belong to academic institutes
worldwide, and 48 more belong to US government bodies.
Patenting the science which governs the production of
foods has become extremely important to companies which
invest millions of pounds into the research.
Five of the top 20 organisations with patents on transgenic
plants and crop improvement using DNA technology are
held by European organisations, two by Japanese firms, and
the remaining 13 are based in the US.
The figures were released by Der-went Information, which
is sponsoring today's debate. The firm sells information to
companies in a bid to highlight the role of non-profit making
academic institutions. However, its managers refused to
divulge the names of the companies holding the patents - or
how many patents were held by Monsanto, the £5billion US
company at the eye of the storm over so-called
Frankenstein foods.
One of those speaking out at the debate against the way
patents are being used to generate profit is Labour MP
Alan Simpson.
The debate, chaired by Dame Fiona Caldicott of Oxford
University, is being held on the second anniversary of the
cloning of Dolly the sheep.
© Associated Newspapers Ltd., 23 February 1999
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