Warty Pumpkin Patent: Siegers Seed Co. Loses Round 1

Grit Blogs > The Daily Commute

Warty Pumpkin Patent: Siegers Seed Co. Loses Round 1

3/5/2009 8:10:55 AM

by Hank Will, Editor

Tags: Siegers seed company, warted pumpkins, cucurbits, patents, gardens

Hank Will and Mulefoot piglet. On February 13, 2009, the United States Patent office formally rejected Siegers’ 25 claims on cucurbit warts. Patent examiner Ann R. Kubelik issued a non-final rejection of the entire package, however, Siegers has an opportunity to rebut and appeal the decision within 6 months (if all the deadline extensions are implemented). This is indeed good news for gardeners, breeders and pumpkin growers everywhere.

The patent was rejected for a number of reasons related to a somewhat sloppy application and for a number of reasons relating to the prevalence of warts on cucurbits historically, and the fact that warted pumpkin seed has been, and still is, for sale by other vendors.

Read Dr. Kubelik’s 9-page Non-Final rejection document here (click on “Non-Final Rejection” on that page).

Read my other posts on this topic here.

Thanks to GRIT blog commenter DLR for bringing this to my attention.

Comments

Cindy 3/6/2009 7:18:23 AM

Wow - that happened quicker than expected.
Paul Gardener 3/5/2009 11:49:24 AM

It's great news Hank!!! Thanks for keeping us updated on it's progress.
P~

Add Your Comment

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to GRIT?
Sign up to share comments.

Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.

Name*

Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*

Re-enter E-mail Address*

This will be your login ID.

City	State	Zip Code

Password*

Confirm Password*

Have you signed up before?
Please log in before you enter your comment.

E-mail Address

Password

Forgot your password?

Comments*

1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)

Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.

What We're Reading

Pay Now & Save 50% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *	Last Name: *
Address: *	City: *
State/Province: *	Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:	Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds. Canadian Subscribers - Click Here Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Live The Good Life with Grit!

For more than 125 years, Grit has helped its readers live more prosperously and happily while emphasizing the importance of community and a rural lifestyle tradition. In each bimonthly issue, Grit includes helpful articles, humorous and inspiring articles, captivating photos, gardening and cooking advice, do-it-yourself projects and the practical reader advice you would expect to find in America’s premier rural lifestyle magazine.

Get your guide to living outside the city limits delivered straight to your mailbox. Subscribe to Grit today! Simply fill in your information below to receive 1 year (6 issues) of Grit for only $19.95!

SPECIAL BONUS OFFER!

At Grit, we have a tradition of respecting the land that sustains rural America. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing to Grit through our automatic renewal savings plan. By paying now with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of Grit for only $14.95 (USA only).

Or, Bill Me Later and send me one year of Grit for just $19.95!