I was under the impression that being a member of the scientific community means contributing to scientific knowledge and understanding in a manner that allows it to be further expanded by others in the community. It would seem that this patent attempt by Anderson and Smith isn't just a gross display of a lack of integrity, scientific or otherwise, but a means of removing themselves from the scientific community that they're claiming the fruits of as their own. I'll happily and eagerly participate in a resolution that leaves the work of so many of us and of those before us freely available to those remaining in the scientific community.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Hoogewerff Jurian Dr (CAP)" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:12 am
Subject: [ISOGEOCHEM] patenting nature and its isotopes
To: [log in to unmask]

> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> It has been brought to my attention that a recently filed patent
> application in the US aims to patent the use of nature's isotopes for
> food and other authentication purposes.
> 
> Please have a look at the following patent application in the public
> domain at http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090042304
> or
> http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-
> Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-
> bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=%22METHOD+ANALYZING+FOODS%22.TTL.&OS=TTL/%22METHOD+FOR+ANALYZING+FOODS%22&R
> S=TTL/%22METHOD+FOR+ANALYZING+FOODS%22
> 
> Of course trying to patent prior art is outrageous and patenting 
> naturepresumptuous. 
> 
> Any comments?
> 
> Best regards, Jurian Hoogewerff
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
> Dr. Jurian Hoogewerff
> 
> Senior Lecturer Forensic Geochemistry
> Centre for Forensic Provenancing
> School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy
> University of East Anglia
> Norwich, NR4 7TJ
> United Kingdom
> 
> 
> Phone at UEA: +44 (0)1603 593983 office or 593128 lab
> Voicebox: +44 (0)2032 394409 
> Email: [log in to unmask] 
>