Four Indian farmers are being sued by PepsiCo for more than £100,000 each for allegedly growing a variety of potatoes which infringes the company's patent.
The type at the centre of the legal action is known as FC5 which the US food giant says is used exclusively to make its Lay's crisps. The firm currently supplies the FC5 seeds to a group of farmers who then sell their potatoes to the company at a fixed price. PepsiCo claims the four being sued have been"unlawfully using the seeds of its registered variety", but it says they could join the other group.
One of those facing legal action, Bipin Patel, said:"We have been growing potatoes for a long time and we didn't face this problem ever, as we've mostly been using the seeds saved from one harvest to plant the next year's crop."FC5 has a lower moisture content which is needed to make snacks like crisps.
Registered variety does not equal patent. Sloppy journalism there
like most industries these days if it wasn't for the regulators they look like they had a 'Highlander' plan ie there can be only one, mergers or takeovers to create a global super organisation
Haha...
I believe this is a particular type of GMO seed that Pepsi Co has researched....might be wrong though!
Capitalism at its finest
I’ll never buy anything American after reading this
potatoes have seeds? 🤔 that's news to me.
This is why I don't buy pepsi or any pepsico or cocacola products, I used to be addicted to thumbs up, haven't had it for more than a year. I stay away from most FMCG's in general, but when I do buy them I make sure they aren't from either of these companies, especially pepsico.
ummm… technically the 'eyes' on the potatoes ARE the seeds... Just saying...
As if Indians don't have enough money problems they're getting sued by one of the biggest companies in the planet
PepsiCo
stick to cricket