CIAT won the battle over the Bean Thief

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 4, 2008, 00:43:

Should traditional knowledge be patentable? As the number of patents filed by large corporations for native crops has increased, activists have become concerned about the economic effects of these patents on indigenous people. This iBrief discusses the attempts by one group of activists to test the validity of such patents in the United States and explores the issue of biopiracy in the Third World.

http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/2002dltr0008.html

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

romy says on May 4, 2008, 01:49:

wow CIAT-Palmira... If I actually cared about yellow beans and its patent I'd call up my Godfather that runs the show there.

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 4, 2008, 02:04:

Romy, CIAT is a non-profit international organization with no godfathers. They've been established in Palmira from the fifties, I think and have done much to improve the quality of tropical crops all over Latin America, Africa and Asia. Their work is not well-known; that's the reason why I like to highlite every piece of news that involves them.

It's a triumph for the common campesinos, especially in Mexico who lost big time when their exportation pf yellow beans to USA went to bust when a gringo patented their crop as his own.

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

romy says on May 4, 2008, 02:16:

I know what CIAT is I have been to their Palmira and Santander de Quilichao stations plenty of times.
I'm saying the guy that runs the show there is MY Godfather (es mi padrino)... I really appreciate their work as they have accomplished a lot as far as agricultural research and innovation in tropical regions is concerned. I'll tell him I had a little humor at his expense. I just don't care about yellow beans is what I was trying to say.

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 4, 2008, 02:25:

Ok, I haven't been there for some time now but I used to know a lot of people from CIAT and did not know about your Padrino:) I thought you were joking.

Anyway, I'm surprised that you're so familiar with their work and installations. They used to be rather restictive in granting permissions to visit their plants and like to maintain a low profile. Perhaps they are more open now?

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Monpirri says on May 4, 2008, 06:11:

I don't get it? I know Colombia has a numerous family of beans because I have seen many of them. But what does Mexico have to with the yellow beans?

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

romy says on May 4, 2008, 06:16:

Desideria- I've read some of their publications and from talking to some of the employees I've also gotten a general sense of what they do. But really at the stations I've only been for parties, not really to the labs, fields and such.

Desideria (Moderator) says on May 4, 2008, 10:29:

Monpirri, you'd have to read the article to know what we're talking about. It was CIAT who took up the battle to get the patent revoked. It was a gringo who took some Mexican yellow beans and replanted them on his farm in Colorado and then patented them as a variety or color hurting thousands of Mexican bean farmers who had been growing and exporting it.

The yellow bean is originally a Peruvian variety grownthere for thousands of years but it's farmed commercially mostly in Mexico.

CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical) has a bean bank of over 2500 registered varieties and they took the trouble to get the patent revoked. Now it's legal for anybody to grow it and sell it, not just Mr. Proctor who thought he could patent and commercialize a food plant that belongs to all humanity.

Romy, I have no idea what the bean looks or tastes like.

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

webmanco says on May 4, 2008, 12:31:

RTFA :-)

But, I'm going to start making some assumptions here.... Which means I might actually end up making an ass out of myself ..........Thu 04 17, 2008 11:34 am

Monpirri says on May 4, 2008, 18:24:

Colombia has not being able to advocate for Colombian authors whose music and talented scripts were hijacked or maybe negotiated with a capital disadvantages for Colombian authors, this has occurred several years ago and to a point up to today.
Colombia has not been able defend the national cement from being sold out and its entirety to Mexico. I also heard the communication networks have been sold out or are in the process of being sold out completely to a foreigner country/tycoon in the industry.
Colombia cannot or does not know how to argue and win a demand on behalf of Colombians abroad but now Colombia has the will to play a lawyer on behalf of the yellow beans that are hurting thousands of bean farmers in another country!

Will Colombia will be able to fight or represent herself against any frivolous lawsuits approaching her in the very near future? As the one that has been mentioned by the biased media concerning the incident in Ecaudor.
Webmanco, next time you RTFA in regard to where your country stands.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008