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Posted: Wednesday, June 21st, 2006 5:27 AM HST

University revokes taro patents

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ Hawaiian activists destroyed three patents on sacred taro plants Tuesday after the University of Hawaii relinquished its rights to the genetically enhanced breeds. The university gave up ownership of the patents on these crossbreeds of taro after months of protests. Taro farmer Christine Kobayashi says it was important for the university to surrender its patents because life forms shouldn't be owned. Taro, used to make the starchy food poi, is considered to be a sacred ancestor of the Hawaiian people. These three types of taro were created through crossbreeding by University of Hawaii researchers to help fight a leaf blight in Samoa that killed 97 percent of the plant there in the early 1990s. University officials filed papers last week that release these breeds of taro into the public for use by anyone, without having to notify or pay royalties to the school. (Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved)