The old breeding technique of crossing two plants rarely involves patents. Golden rice, an experimental crop that might one day help alleviate vitamin A deficiency, which can cause blindness, was covered by as many as 70 patents owned by 31 companies or universities in various countries. The patent holders have agreed to charge no royalties for rice that is to be given free to poor farmers in developing countries. But the licensing process delayed work on the rice by about a year. Hoping to garner public support for genetically modified foods, the biotech companies say they are willing to allow their technologies to be used for humanitarian purposes.
Some companies insist the process is less than overwhelming.
I don't think so. Monsanto usually allows university scientists to use its technology for research, executives said, though a separate license may be required for commercial use. Dr. Folk of the University of Missouri planned commercial use for the soybean seeds he developed, so he was treated like a competitor and asked for a detailed proposal, which he did not provide, a Monsanto spokesman said. But some scientists say having a license only for research is not enough. California strawberry growers canceled a project to develop a strawberry resistant to fungus for fear that they would not be allowed to let the strawberry be grown commercially, said Dr. Alan Bennett, executive director of the office of technology transfer at the University of California, which discovered the fungal resistance gene.