Thank God for the European Union

[confludemocrat]

One of the only bulwarks against the corporate takeover of the world. Would this happen in the U.S., don't think so:

http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_45/news.asp

India wins "bio-piracy" case over plant-based pesticide.

After a ten year battle led by the European Union's Green Party, the India-based Research Foundation for Science and Ecology (RFSTE) and The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), a patent issued to the WR Grace corporation on agricultural products based on Neem tree seeds was revoked by the European Patent Office (EPO).

A challenge was first mounted against the patent when it was granted in 1995. In 2000, it was victorious, but the US-based multinational mounted an appeal. On March 8, that appeal was lost when the Indian government successfully argued that the medicinal Neem tree is part of traditional Indian knowledge. RFSTE's challenge to the patent was based on the fact that the fungicide qualities of the neem tree and its many traditional uses including insect repellents, cleansers, cosmetics, and dental care products have been known in India for over 2,000 years.

Vandana Shiva, the Director of RFSTE was quoted in by the BBC as saying "Denying the patent means upholding the value of 'traditional' for millions of not only in India but throughout the South. The free tree will stay free,"