"Last year James McCully, owner of Mauna Kea Orchids in Hilo, patented a new variety of orchid called Oncidium Sweet Ears "The Orchid Works." The new orchid is characterized by canary-yellow and deep-chocolate coloring, with larger-than-usual flower segments.
McCully estimates that he's already recouped the $3,500 cost of patenting his orchid [???]. A major concern for Hawai'i's flower growers is competition from imports from Asian countries with lower land and labor costs. One of the ways for local growers to compete is to develop hybrids that grow fast, flower early and last a long time, McCully said. Patents are important because it can take five to six years to bring a new hybrid plant into production. However, it takes less than half that time for someone to copy a new hybrid, McCully said. "Anybody can grab a plant, put it in a lab, (duplicate it) and change the name," he said. "It's about intellectual property and the value of that, if you can obtain your patent." For Hawai'i, orchids generate $24 million a year in farm-level sales." source : http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jan/09/bz/FP601090308.html ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
