Basmati rice (1997)
International outrage and calls of bio-piracy rang out when the USPTO granted a Texas company named RiceTec patent number 5,663,484 on "basmati rice lines and grains." A native of India and other eastern countries, basmati rice has been eaten for thousands of years. The issue nearly caused a diplomatic crisis when India threatened to take the issue of the patent to the World Trade Organization. The USPTO invalidated the patent.
