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Remember how the GE Free movement said that GM was mainly about expanding the power of "IP" laws to living things, including food crops? Remember we said this would concentrate power over food production, adding a new way for corporations to extract profit from other people's work?
Seems we were bang on about the agenda. But they've found a simpler way to do it, a monopoly over crop varieties called Plant Variety Rights;
"The infringement involved the unauthorised planting of over 200 hectares of Gold3 in Hubei Province, with fruit then sold online.
The court has ordered the defendant to remove the 260ha of infringing plant material and to pay Zespri compensation of 5,246,200 Chinese Yuan, or $1.28 million."
Translated from legalspeak, the court ordered the destruction of 260ha of healthy fruit trees. Seriously, WTF?!
"Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said in the statement ... [that it] '... highlights the importance of intellectual property protection in horticulture, for local and foreign companies, and the role it plays in ensuring food safety for consumers.”
This case is not about food safety, in any way, shape or form. It's about the power to assert control over another people's food systems.
Don’t forget that Zespri specifically cultivated this particular set of genetics.
If you want a kiwifruit there are heaps of them. It’s not shortage. Green kiwifruit? Yum! plenty to go around.
If you want a Zespri golden kiwifruit strain then you must buy it from Zespri.
@strypey Rather than forcing them to license from Zespri… yeah, madness.
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