April 12th, 1955
The news of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine is made public for the first time.
When asked about who owns the patent on live TV Salk replies...
"There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?"
How things have changed.
Last year it came to light that the multi-billion dollar company Nestle was trying to patent the Fennel flower or to be more precise the seed extract - the most useful part of the flower.
The fennel flower has been used as a healing agent throughout history. It's been scientifically proven to, among other benefits, aid in issues relating to kidney, liver, and respiratory disorders.
On their website Nestle says they are not trying to patent or "own" the fennel flower.
"Our patent application relates only to the specific way that thymoquinone - a compound that can be extracted from the seed of the fennel flower - interacts with opioid receptors in the body and helps to reduce allergic reactions to food," they write.
They claim that other companies would still be able to use thymoquinone to develop products with health benefits, but only "if the product containing thymoquinone has not been developed based on our scientific findings."
How do you spell "lawsuit" - and lots of them?
No word on the outcome of their patent attempt, but here's hoping it will be denied.
