RiceTec: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American hybrid rice seed company based in Alvin, Texas}} |
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{{Infobox company |
{{Infobox company |
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| name = RiceTec Inc. |
| name = RiceTec Inc. |
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| foundation = 1990 |
| foundation = 1990 |
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| predecessor = Farms of Texas Company |
| predecessor = Farms of Texas Company |
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| location_city = [[Alvin, Texas]]<ref name="RiceTec">{{cite web | title=Revolutionizing Rice Production | website=RiceTec | date=2020-11-02 | url=http://www.ricetec.com/ | access-date=2021-07-26}}</ref> |
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| location_city = [[Houston]] |
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| location_country = [[ |
| location_country = [[United States]] |
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| key_people = |
| key_people = Karsten Neuffer <small>([[global chief executive officer|CEO]])</small>, |
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| industry = Agribusiness |
| industry = Agribusiness |
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| products = Hybrid Seed Rice, Consumer Rice |
| products = Hybrid Seed Rice, Consumer Rice |
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| homepage = [http://www.ricetec.com/ www.ricetec.com] |
| homepage = [http://www.ricetec.com/ www.ricetec.com] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''RiceTec Inc.''' is a private American company based |
'''RiceTec Inc.''' is a private American company based and headquartered in [[Alvin, Texas]],<ref name="RiceTec" /> that develops and produces [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] [[rice]] seed for the American and various international markets. RiceTec previously owned<ref name="RiceSelect-about">{{cite web | title=RiceSelect® - Learn More About Us and Our Products | website=[[RiceSelect]] | date=2020-10-19 | url=http://riceselect.com/about | access-date=2021-07-26}}</ref> the consumer brand name '''RiceSelect''' which markets Texmati brand rice in grocery stores throughout North America.<ref>{{cite web|title=RiceTec, Inc|url=http://www.topworkplaces.com/frontend.php/regional-list/company/chron/ricetec-inc|work=Houston Chronicle|access-date=17 March 2013}}</ref> The company was founded in 1990 as a foreign for profit corporation and is owned by the [[Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Company Overview of RiceTec, Inc|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4393167|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202180937/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4393167|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 2, 2014|work=Bloomberg Businessweek|access-date=17 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Using best brains on modified grains Rice-seed outfit wants to spread word on hybrids|url=http://www.ricetec.com.uy/pages/castellano/news/news_right3.html|author=Nelson Antosh|work=Houston Chronicle|access-date=17 March 2013}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |
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== Hybrid seed rice == |
== Hybrid seed rice == |
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Development of hybrid rice began in the United States in 1980, as a partnership between the China National Seed Corporation and Ring Around Seed Corporation. These early attempts at growing hybrid rice were met with limited success due to problems in production and grain characteristics. In 1986 Farms of Texas Co. (at the time a large corporate farm) became part of the partnership to help develop better production practices and further research.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Beachell|first=H.M.|title=The need for a global rice research system|journal=Progress in Irrigated Rice Research|date=21–25 September 1987|page=323}}</ref> Farms of Texas Co. was re-formed as RiceTec Inc. in 1990 and formed a partnership with the Chinese National Hybrid Rice Research Center in 1993 to provide RiceTec with exclusive access to Chinese [[germplasm]].<ref name="Walton">{{cite journal|last=Walton|first=M.|title=Hybrid rice for mechanized agriculture|journal=Hybrid Rice for Food Security, Poverty Alleviation, and Environmental Protection|year=2003|pages=97–104}}</ref> |
Development of hybrid rice began in the United States in 1980, as a partnership between the China National Seed Corporation and Ring Around Seed Corporation. These early attempts at growing hybrid rice were met with limited success due to problems in production and grain characteristics. In 1986 Farms of Texas Co. (at the time a large corporate farm) became part of the partnership to help develop better production practices and further research.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Beachell|first=H.M.|title=The need for a global rice research system|journal=Progress in Irrigated Rice Research|date=21–25 September 1987|page=323}}</ref> Farms of Texas Co. was re-formed as RiceTec Inc. in 1990 and formed a partnership with the Chinese National Hybrid Rice Research Center in 1993 to provide RiceTec with exclusive access to Chinese [[germplasm]].<ref name="Walton">{{cite journal|last=Walton|first=M.|title=Hybrid rice for mechanized agriculture|journal=Hybrid Rice for Food Security, Poverty Alleviation, and Environmental Protection|year=2003|pages=97–104}}</ref> |
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RiceTec marketed its first commercial hybrid rice line in 2000, with the introduction of the Hybrid XL6, followed shortly by XL7 and XL8 in 2002.<ref name="Walton" /> RiceTec introduced its first Newpath Herbicide resistant rice (in a partnership with BASF) known as Clearfield XL8 in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|last=Robinson|first=Elton|title=Hybrid rice excels in field|url=http://deltafarmpress.com/hybrid-rice-excels-field|work=Delta Farm Press| |
RiceTec marketed its first commercial hybrid rice line in 2000, with the introduction of the Hybrid XL6, followed shortly by XL7 and XL8 in 2002.<ref name="Walton" /> RiceTec introduced its first Newpath Herbicide resistant rice (in a partnership with BASF) known as Clearfield XL8 in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|last=Robinson|first=Elton|title=Hybrid rice excels in field|url=http://deltafarmpress.com/hybrid-rice-excels-field|work=Delta Farm Press|access-date=20 March 2013|date=2002-12-16}}</ref> |
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== Litigation == |
== Litigation == |
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=== Basmati patent controversy === |
=== Basmati patent controversy === |
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RiceTec became widely known in the late 1990s due to an attempt by the company to patent [[Basmati]] rice.<ref>{{cite patent| country = USA| number = 5663484| status = Expired| title = NOVEL BASMATI RICE LINES AND GRAINS| gdate = 09/02/1997| fdate = 07/08/1994| inventor = EUGENIO S. SARREAL |
RiceTec became widely known in the late 1990s due to an attempt by the company to patent [[Basmati]] rice.<ref>{{cite patent| country = USA| number = 5663484| status = Expired| title = NOVEL BASMATI RICE LINES AND GRAINS| gdate = 09/02/1997| fdate = 07/08/1994| inventor = EUGENIO S. SARREAL}}</ref> Basmati rice has historically been grown in India for many centuries, however neither country had ever patented the particular variety of rice. The claiming of the patent by RiceTec angered many farmers, officials, and NGOs in the region because of this act of theft of intellectual property and vowed to fight the patent, especially since the information provided to Ricetec largely came from the basmati seeds at the [[International Rice Research Institute]] in the [[Philippines]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|jstor=j.ctt183p5cm|title=Making the World Safe for Capitalism: How Iraq Threatened the US Economic Empire and had to be Destroyed|last=Doran|first=Christopher|date=2012|publisher=Pluto Press|isbn=9780745332222|pages=217|chapter=How Iraq Threatened the US Economic Empire and had to be Destroyed|doi=10.2307/j.ctt183p5cm }}</ref> They allowed for duplicate [[germplasm]]s to be stored in a seed bank in [[Fort Collins, Colorado]].<ref name="ssrn">{{cite journal|last=Mukherjee|first=Utsav|title=A Study of the Basmati Case (India-US Basmati Rice Dispute): The Geographical Indication Perspective|ssrn=1143209 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1143209|date=2008-06-10|s2cid=130991379}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Saritha|first=Rai|title=India-U.S. Fight on Basmati Rice Is Mostly Settled|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/25/business/india-us-fight-on-basmati-rice-is-mostly-settled.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=19 March 2013|date=2001-08-25}}</ref> |
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The patent was originally accepted by the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office|US Patent & Trademark Office]] in 1997, but was officially challenged by the Indian government in 2000 and most patent claims were overturned in the US in 2002.<ref name="ssrn" /><ref>{{cite patent| country = USA| number = 90/005,709| status = Reexamination Certificate Issued| title = BASMATI RICE LINES AND GRAINS| gdate = 1-29-2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=USA: RiceTec statement regarding reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 5,663,484|url=http://www.just-food.com/news/ricetec-statement-regarding-reexamination-of-us-patent-no-5663484_id76880.aspx|work=just-food|access-date=19 March 2013|date=2001-08-28}}</ref> Despite this, RiceTec continues to market their "Texmati" brand of rice as "long grain American Basmati", although no patents or trademarks on the title "Basmati" are currently held by the company (a current trademark is however held for "Texmati".)<ref>{{cite web|title=Texmati white rice|url=http://www.riceselect.com/texmati.aspx|publisher=RiceSelect|access-date=19 March 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228182004/http://www.riceselect.com/texmati.aspx|archive-date=28 February 2013}}</ref> |
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=== Seed quality lawsuit === |
=== Seed quality lawsuit === |
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A countersuit (in response to a suit filed by RiceTec for non-payment) was filed against RiceTec on July 6, 2012, in Green County Arkansas, by Scott Meredith, a rice farmer from Green County. The suit alleged that |
A [[Counterclaim|countersuit]] (in response to a suit filed by RiceTec for non-payment) was filed against RiceTec on July 6, 2012, in [[Greene County, Arkansas|Green County, Arkansas]], by Scott Meredith, a rice farmer from Green County. The suit alleged that Meredith had been sold both impure and defective seeds by RiceTec, and also accused RiceTec of negligence, [[breach of contract]], [[Warranty|breach of warranty]], and violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act for misrepresenting and mislabeling its seeds.<ref>{{cite court |litigants= RiceTec Inc. vs. Scott meredith D/B/A Scott Meredith Farms Partnership |court= Greene Co.Circuit|date=7/6/2012|url=http://www.riceteclitigation.com/files/Scott_Meredith_Filing.pdf |accessdate=2013-03-20}}</ref> According to the lead attorney for the plaintiff, the hybrid seed rice he (Scott Meredith) purchased had inferior milling characteristics that hurt marketability and did not yield as was promised by the company.<ref>{{cite web|title=Farmers in Louisiana and Texas join RiceTec lawsuit|url=http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/08/farmers_in_louisiana_and_texas.html|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Times=Picayune|access-date=21 March 2013|date=2012-08-03}}</ref> The case received widespread attention in the rice producing areas of the United States and prompted RiceTec [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] John Nelsen to issue a statement rebuffing all allegations and promising to fight the lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web|last=Keller|first=Rich|title=RiceTec to defend its seed in court|url=http://www.agprofessional.com/news/RiceTec-to-defend-its-seed-in-court-163590176.html|work=Ag Professional|access-date=21 March 2013}}</ref> In November 2012, a judge dismissed the claim against RiceTec.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.agprofessional.com/news/Judge-dismisses-claims-against-RiceTec-180760721.html|title=Judge dismisses claims against RiceTec|last=Keller|first=Rich|date=November 25, 2012|publisher=agprofessional.com|access-date=25 February 2015}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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*[[Basmati]] |
*[[Basmati]] |
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*[[Biological patent]] |
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*[[Jasmati]] |
*[[Jasmati]] |
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*[[Navdanya]] |
*[[Navdanya]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Agriculture companies of the United States]] |
[[Category:Agriculture companies of the United States]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Agriculture companies established in 1990]] |
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[[Category:Plant breeding]] |
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[[Category:1990 establishments in Texas]] |
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[[Category:Brazoria County, Texas]] |
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[[Category:Rice in the United States]] |
Latest revision as of 10:54, 19 October 2024
Company type | Private |
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Industry | Agribusiness |
Predecessor | Farms of Texas Company |
Founded | 1990 |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Karsten Neuffer (CEO), |
Products | Hybrid Seed Rice, Consumer Rice |
Number of employees | ~250 |
Website | www.ricetec.com |
RiceTec Inc. is a private American company based and headquartered in Alvin, Texas,[1] that develops and produces hybrid rice seed for the American and various international markets. RiceTec previously owned[2] the consumer brand name RiceSelect which markets Texmati brand rice in grocery stores throughout North America.[3] The company was founded in 1990 as a foreign for profit corporation and is owned by the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.[4][5]
Hybrid seed rice
[edit]Development of hybrid rice began in the United States in 1980, as a partnership between the China National Seed Corporation and Ring Around Seed Corporation. These early attempts at growing hybrid rice were met with limited success due to problems in production and grain characteristics. In 1986 Farms of Texas Co. (at the time a large corporate farm) became part of the partnership to help develop better production practices and further research.[6] Farms of Texas Co. was re-formed as RiceTec Inc. in 1990 and formed a partnership with the Chinese National Hybrid Rice Research Center in 1993 to provide RiceTec with exclusive access to Chinese germplasm.[7] RiceTec marketed its first commercial hybrid rice line in 2000, with the introduction of the Hybrid XL6, followed shortly by XL7 and XL8 in 2002.[7] RiceTec introduced its first Newpath Herbicide resistant rice (in a partnership with BASF) known as Clearfield XL8 in 2003.[8]
Litigation
[edit]Basmati patent controversy
[edit]RiceTec became widely known in the late 1990s due to an attempt by the company to patent Basmati rice.[9] Basmati rice has historically been grown in India for many centuries, however neither country had ever patented the particular variety of rice. The claiming of the patent by RiceTec angered many farmers, officials, and NGOs in the region because of this act of theft of intellectual property and vowed to fight the patent, especially since the information provided to Ricetec largely came from the basmati seeds at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.[10] They allowed for duplicate germplasms to be stored in a seed bank in Fort Collins, Colorado.[11][12]
The patent was originally accepted by the US Patent & Trademark Office in 1997, but was officially challenged by the Indian government in 2000 and most patent claims were overturned in the US in 2002.[11][13][14] Despite this, RiceTec continues to market their "Texmati" brand of rice as "long grain American Basmati", although no patents or trademarks on the title "Basmati" are currently held by the company (a current trademark is however held for "Texmati".)[15]
Seed quality lawsuit
[edit]A countersuit (in response to a suit filed by RiceTec for non-payment) was filed against RiceTec on July 6, 2012, in Green County, Arkansas, by Scott Meredith, a rice farmer from Green County. The suit alleged that Meredith had been sold both impure and defective seeds by RiceTec, and also accused RiceTec of negligence, breach of contract, breach of warranty, and violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act for misrepresenting and mislabeling its seeds.[16] According to the lead attorney for the plaintiff, the hybrid seed rice he (Scott Meredith) purchased had inferior milling characteristics that hurt marketability and did not yield as was promised by the company.[17] The case received widespread attention in the rice producing areas of the United States and prompted RiceTec CEO John Nelsen to issue a statement rebuffing all allegations and promising to fight the lawsuit.[18] In November 2012, a judge dismissed the claim against RiceTec.[19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Revolutionizing Rice Production". RiceTec. 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "RiceSelect® - Learn More About Us and Our Products". RiceSelect. 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "RiceTec, Inc". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "Company Overview of RiceTec, Inc". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Nelson Antosh. "Using best brains on modified grains Rice-seed outfit wants to spread word on hybrids". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 17 March 2013.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Beachell, H.M. (21–25 September 1987). "The need for a global rice research system". Progress in Irrigated Rice Research: 323.
- ^ a b Walton, M. (2003). "Hybrid rice for mechanized agriculture". Hybrid Rice for Food Security, Poverty Alleviation, and Environmental Protection: 97–104.
- ^ Robinson, Elton (2002-12-16). "Hybrid rice excels in field". Delta Farm Press. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ USA Expired 5663484, EUGENIO S. SARREAL, "NOVEL BASMATI RICE LINES AND GRAINS", issued 09/02/1997
- ^ Doran, Christopher (2012). "How Iraq Threatened the US Economic Empire and had to be Destroyed". Making the World Safe for Capitalism: How Iraq Threatened the US Economic Empire and had to be Destroyed. Pluto Press. p. 217. doi:10.2307/j.ctt183p5cm. ISBN 9780745332222. JSTOR j.ctt183p5cm.
- ^ a b Mukherjee, Utsav (2008-06-10). "A Study of the Basmati Case (India-US Basmati Rice Dispute): The Geographical Indication Perspective". doi:10.2139/ssrn.1143209. S2CID 130991379. SSRN 1143209.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Saritha, Rai (2001-08-25). "India-U.S. Fight on Basmati Rice Is Mostly Settled". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ USA Reexamination Certificate Issued 90/005,709, "BASMATI RICE LINES AND GRAINS", issued 1-29-2002
- ^ "USA: RiceTec statement regarding reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 5,663,484". just-food. 2001-08-28. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Texmati white rice". RiceSelect. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ RiceTec Inc. vs. Scott meredith D/B/A Scott Meredith Farms Partnership (Greene Co.Circuit 7/6/2012), Text.
- ^ "Farmers in Louisiana and Texas join RiceTec lawsuit". The Times=Picayune. Associated Press. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ Keller, Rich. "RiceTec to defend its seed in court". Ag Professional. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ Keller, Rich (November 25, 2012). "Judge dismisses claims against RiceTec". agprofessional.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.