IP Protection Includes Seeds

The US has made much of the loss of intellectual property to China in recent years.  And in agriculture this includes new varieties and the seeds of those new varieties.

A recent court case has highlighted a new variety that seems to have been on its way to China.......but was detected at the US border.

Sobering reading.

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Chinese Scientist Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Rice-Smuggling Plot

The researcher stole genetically modified seeds and planned to give them to a crop research institute in China, the US Justice Department says.

By Ashley Yeager | April 5, 2018

FLICKR, BLOGTREPRENEURChinese scientist Weiqiang Zang was sentenced yesterday (April 4) to 121 months in federal prison for conspiring to steal genetically modified rice seeds from Ventria Bioscience while working at its Kansas-based facility. Zhang planned to give the seeds to a research institute in China, according to a statementfrom the US Justice Department.

“Weiqiang Zhang betrayed his employer by unlawfully providing its proprietary rice seeds to representatives of a Chinese crop institute,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan says in the statement. The “sentence demonstrates the significant consequences awaiting those who would steal trade secrets from American companies.”

Zhang, who has a master’s degree in agriculture from Shengyang Agricultural University in China and a doctorate from Louisiana State University, worked as a rice breeder at Ventria Bioscience. The company develops rice seeds that are genetically reprogrammed to produce human serum albumin, a protein found in blood, or lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein found in human milk. The proteins are then extracted for use as therapeutics.  

According to trial evidence, Zhang stole hundreds of the company’s rice seeds and stored them at his home in Manhattan, Kansas. In the summer of 2013, visitors from a crop research institute in China came to Zhang’s home, and Zhang also took them to tour research facilities in Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio. When the visitors returned home in August 2013, US Customs and Border Protection officers found seeds, including ones belonging to Ventria, in their luggage. Last February, Zhang was convicted of one count of conspiracy to steal trade secrets, one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

“Ventria invested years of research and tens of millions of dollars to create a new and beneficial product,” says US Attorney McAllister in statement. “It is vital that we protect such intellectual property from theft and exploitation by foreign interests.”

Product Integrity in Agriculture - Better Options

Agriculture in its broadest sense is about producing food, drink, seeds, fibre and other products for consumers.  Australia generally does it well.

Whether it be meat, wine, milk, fibre, cider, fruit or fruit juice, canned tomatoes or dried fruit, vegetables fresh - dried or frozen or any other staple product they are required to be what they say they are.  Product integrity is paramount in market development and maintenance.

It is often taken for granted - or at least has been for many years with Australian products.  They are what they say they are...........or are they?

Recent developments are driving significant improvements, often quite subtle, in developing superior ways to ensure product integrity in Australia's rural products.

Have a look at the following link which covers some of the higher tech options now being used to ensure Australian products are not misrepresented along the chain from producer to user.

https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2018/penfolds-or-benfolds.html?ref=newsletter

This is a sobering reminder that it is critical to protect your product - in essence your intellectual property - along the way to market.

There are some charlatans out there, and sadly it seems that China is a significant country of interest in sabotaging Australian rural products.

Most Australians seem to ignore product protection or at least assume " it will be right" - sadly, not always the case, and where it goes wrong Australia's reputation suffers as well as the company selling the real products.

Be aware that product integrity is everyone's business.