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Chips are down for potato patent

Posted On: Dec. 3, 2021 1:29 PM CST

potato

Indian regulators on Friday smashed a patent for a potato variety grown to make Lay’s potato chips.

PepsiCo, which owns the Lay’s brand, in 2019 sued some Indian farmers for growing the FC5 potato variety, which has a low moisture content, but later withdrew the suit saying it wanted to settle the dispute amicably, Reuters reported.

A farmers’ rights activist, though, petitioned authorities to revoke the patent, which had been registered in 2016, arguing that seed varieties can’t be patented in India.

Regulators agreed and revoked the patent, the wire service reported.