The European Patent Office (EPO) wants to grant a patent on salmon that are fed with specific plants (EP1965658). The EPO has informed the Australian applicant that the patent is ready to be granted within the next few months. The patent claims the salmon and the fish oil.
If animals become patented inventions because they are given a specific feed, then cows and pigs reared on grasslands could also be patented. And soon patents might be granted on eating and drinking. Or maybe on humans consuming milk or fish...
The organisations that belong to the coalition No Patents on Seeds! are calling to send so-called “Third party observations” to the EPO urging them not to grant the patent. The letters can be sent via fax or postal mail to the EPO.
The media release:
http://no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/information/news/animals-are-not-inve…
The patent just before granting:
http://no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/information/patent-cases/feedstuffs-a…
Backgrounder about patents on animals:
http://no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/information/background/patents-pigs-c…
