It is particularly worrying because it has been done (patent granted) in other areas of related science eg

Kennedy, A.C. 1998. Determination of the source of a soil sample. US
Patent 5,766,953, 16 June.

The granting of the patent may occur based on a specific novel application even though it may have been a commonly used technique.

The worry with this patent is that it appears to be for the concept of the analytical methods that cover the full suit of food web analytical methods including many already in the literature. Hopefully the patent office legal team will not be blinded by the scientific language.

(Hmmm .. has anyone checked whether there is a patent on the wheel?)

Max Gibbs
NIWA, PO Box 11-115
Gate 10 Silverdale Rd
Hamilton 3251
New Zealand
 
Phone: +64 7856 1773
Fax: +64 7856 0151
Cell: 027 604 1449
Email: [log in to unmask]


>>> Jurian Hoogewerff <[log in to unmask]> 1/05/2009 7:19 a.m. >>>
For your information the filing date of this latest application is October 21, 
2008 not 2006 as a previous respondent suggested. 2006 was "just" a 
provisional filing so it is STILL VERY ACTIVE AND WORRYING!!:

see section in the "inventors" section at: 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&RS=TTL/%
22METHOD+FOR+ANALYZING+FOODS%22

And further below:
"CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 

[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of International Application No. 
PCT/US2007/009682, filed on Apr. 20, 2007, which claims the benefit of the 
earlier filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/793,909, filed Apr. 21, 
2006, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. "

Note: International Application !!!!!

NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd.