Plant Patents, Biodiversity, and “Public Domain” Seeds

Patents on living things threaten biodiversity and our resilience against climate change. In this episode, we examine how a VLS professor is helping plant breeders use “defensive publication” to keep innovations open-source and promote biodiversity.GuestsJim Myers, Professor, Vegetable Breeding and Genetics, Oregon State UniversityEmily Spiegel, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, Vermont Law SchoolRecommended ResourcesA Breed Apart: The Plant Breeder’s Guide to Defensive Publication“Could a simple database prevent massive ag companies from patenting and guarding seed varieties?” The Counter, May 13, 2021.