Canadian inventor sues Idaho, Washington, Oregon universities over yellow mustard seed patent
By APFriday, September 4, 2009
Inventor sues 3 Northwest universities over patent
BOISE, Idaho — Three Pacific Northwest universities face a federal lawsuit that accuses them of using a Canadian inventor’s patented process to build a better yellow mustard seed without permission.
Soheil Sharafabadi filed the lawsuit this summer in U.S. District Court in Seattle. He says the University of Idaho used his patent to produce new varieties of mustard seed with higher yields.
Court documents say Washington State University and Oregon State University collaborated with Idaho, providing research stations and scientists.
The lawsuit names all three schools and agricultural suppliers in the western U.S. that distribute the seeds.
A University of Idaho spokeswoman says the school doesn’t comment on current litigation but plans to vigorously defend its research.
