Student Research Project Report on the Basmati Patent case

Abstract

RiceTec Inc, an American company, was granted a patent by the U.S. patent office in late 1997 to call the aromatic rice grown outside India ‘Basmati’ to which India objected. Since India has been one of the major exporters of Basmati rice, such a grant could negatively affect her trade. This paper is based on review work on the Basmati patent, the implications, and the legal battle that followed. This study was part of a student research project during the lockdown period.