At a ceremony to be held at the Hawaiian Studies campus of the University of Hawai’i (UH) this morning, June 20th, from 10-11:30 am, Hawaiian activists and farmers will announce victory in a five-month campaign to force the University to abandon its patents on three varieties of Hawaiian taro it first obtained in 2002. Activists are now demanding a voice in future decisions by UH and other organizations on intellectual property arrangements involving Hawaiian biodiversity.
“We are pleased that the University has finally seen the light and agreed to abandon the patents on kalo, our elder brother,” said Walter Ritte, a Moloka’i activist who spearheaded the campaign.
“Taro farmers applaud the University’s decision to abandon the taro patents,” added Kaua’i taro farmer Christine Kobayashi. “UH did not invent taro, and they had no right to own it or license it to farmers.”
The agreement to abandon the taro patents was reached in a June 12th meeting between Ritte and Gary Ostrander, UH Manoa Vice-Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. At the meeting, Ritte delivered a letter signed by him and Kobayashi with instructions on the procedure for abandoning, or “disclaiming,” the taro patents.
Activists have also requested that the University abandon any world-wide patent rights it has applied for or obtained on the three taro varieties.
Ritte and Kobayashi first demanded the patents be dropped in aJanuary letter to UH officials. Their demands soon found widespread support in the native Hawaiian and taro farming communities. Three high-profile demonstrations at the University of Hawai’i finally forced UH officials to confront the issue.
“University officials never consulted with Hawaiians before obtaining the taro patents in 2002, and it took them a while to realize we were serious about wanting them dropped,” said Ritte, who noted that his request to have the issue discussed at a UH Regents meeting on May 18th was rejected. “A few weeks ago, University officials announced they would transfer the patents to the native Hawaiian community,” said Ritte. “We rejected that because we object to anyone owning kalo, even ourselves. Now the patents will be dropped. Haloa instructs us to malama (reverence and protect) kalo, not own it. This concept of turning life into ‘intellectual property’ is foreign to Hawaiian culture, and that’s why we need to have a voice in future decisions on Hawaiian biodiversity.”
“The taro patent controversy shows the need for UH and other organizations to first consult with the community before genetically modifying or patenting organisms in Hawaii,” said Sarah Sullivan, director of Hawai’i SEED, a statewide coalition advocating sustainable agriculture.
View the June 12th letter instructing University of Hawai’i how to abandon the three taro patents
View the patent disclaimer forms signed by University of Hawaii on June 16, 2006 by which the University revoked its patents on three varieties of Hawaiian taro.
For original letter demanding that the patents be dropped, as well as links to the licensing agreement, U.S. taro patents, and World Intellectual Property Organization patent applications, click here
