Genetic acquisition ethics

[Siskiyou Sam]

So I want to incorporate new genetic material into my verity's, but I don't want to rip off anybody's work just like I don't want others to take my breeding work.
I have been breeding for 30 years in Oregon and have developed several varieties in high demand that are looking very true breeding and are currently at f6 all grown and selected outdoors.
I want to get others opinions about buying seeds and just considering them to be in the public domain, if there is no mention of "do not reproduce" on the package or contract. I'm thinking as there is no plant patents for cannabis plants, then the only legal protection is a trade mark on the name. Is that where we are at?

 

[budsicles]

If you are not selling/spreading the genetics, then you can do whatever you want with them. No ethical problems. If you are mixing genetic lines and taking it to f6...congratulations...you are more of a breeder than 95% of "breeders" that sell genetics. So I think you are perfectly fine selling such "worked" gear.

The problem is when you take another breeder's seedline and sell the f2's as your own, without doing any actual work on the genetics.

Just my opinion.

 

[Weird]

there are so many ways to look at it tbh

i personally respect all requests but never put any limits on my own or anything passed without

that said there are many stains that have been lost even without restriction so for me it comes down to proprietary and liable to being lost or shared and hopefully saved over the term of generations

many times a prized cultivar is prized because it shines in the selectors environment and not so much in various others so not all cultivars are spread so far and wide that they lose value

all that said I am also of the opinion that if you are meant to be doing what you want to do in this case strain preservation sharing and breeding that your value isn't limited to any one effort, strain, grow, build, breed, whatever it is you do

from a medicinal standpoint if it has unique value the best way to actualize it is to get it out to the world

I find restrictions set people up to fuck you or not so I try not to put that pressure on people maybe it might be more appropriate to ask that if it is shared the originator is kept in the equation, promotion could outweigh the benefit of restrictions

food for thought good luck

 

[Infinitesimal]

Your best bet is to only release hybrids of your varieties (or hybrids of hybrids), but even then people will find very similar phenotypes... its tricky.

The way i look at it is, if you want to keep your genetics proprietary, sequence the genome and register it... Then only give access to the companies who contract to produce it.

If you sell seeds of it youre selling the genes and imo can not then claim exclusive rights to them any longer... its a choice you have to make

 

[Infinitesimal]

That said, it is respectful to at least ask a breeders blessing when contemplating making an f2-3 reproduction for retail, but if you pay for seeds you can do what you want with them

 

[Jhhnn]

I think the issue is giving credit where credit is due. That's fair use.

Some breeders knowingly release stabilized genetics & even encourage others to use them as they see fit. Those who don't see it that way need to do things differently.

Anybody concerned with the moral ambiguity of that can introduce relatively raw landrace genetics into their own work.

 

[oldbootz]

There is no right answer to a debate like this, only different view points. I stand on the side of - no breeder deserves rights to any plant or animal. Much of the greatest things have been lost in time to greedy people who keep things to themselves. Imagine if the information in the Library of Alexandria was spread far and wide before it was burnt to the ground?

There is something so egotistical about taking something and putting your spin on it and then slapping your name all over it claiming its yours and no one is allowed to use it.

Tell me this: Does any breeder start with genetics that he created? No, we all start with genetics that were around already. What if all the people on earth were as selfish as the people doing trademarks etc? Well then no one would be able to work any genetics anymore because they would all already "belong" to someone who registered them. Do you not see this problem? It can kill our entire industry. Monsanto bullshit it is.

 

[Infinitesimal]

There is no right answer to a debate like this, only different view points. I stand on the side of - no breeder deserves rights to any plant or animal. Much of the greatest things have been lost in time to greedy people who keep things to themselves. Imagine if the information in the Library of Alexandria was spread far and wide before it was burnt to the ground?

There is something so egotistical about taking something and putting your spin on it and then slapping your name all over it claiming its yours and no one is allowed to use it.

Tell me this: Does any breeder start with genetics that he created? No, we all start with genetics that were around already. What if all the people on earth were as selfish as the people doing trademarks etc? Well then no one would be able to work any genetics anymore because they would all already "belong" to someone who registered them. Do you not see this problem? It can kill our entire industry. Monsanto bullshit it is.

I hear you, and feel the same way about varieties that already exist and belong in the public domain..

Just like all the genes breeders use (aside from normal rates of mutation) predate the crosses and work breeders do. There are only 12 musical notes that predate any piece of music. But when a musician composes a unique piece of music they obtain a copyright to their work and deserve to get paid whenever others use their work to make a profit... No different than with cannabis imo. When someone breeds a new unique variety.

Thats not to say anyone can own or patent a strain... and sue an individual for growing it like Monsanto does with its GMO BT corn gene... though i do in a sense that if i create a variety i own those seeds and can do whatever i wish with them share or destroy them if inclined.

 

[herbgreen]

If you had say...dutch flowers lemon thai and crossed it to dj short blueberry

Now thats really what people need to know

By the way dont steal that thats proprietary info...

why do I always share all my good ideas?#@!

Oh go ahead, run with it...

 

[herbgreen]

I also think its a good move to drop the breeder in question a line...

matters a bit more if its a recent hybrid still in circulation

I think its great you have been keeping lines going!

 

[MJPassion]

Tricky question & lots of opinions.

If you purchase a seed line, the plants that come of those seeds are yours to do with as you please. After all... Possession is 9/10 of the law. Any breeder that wants to bitch about their gear being used for other projects gets their argument thrown out the door once they release a line to the general public. Credit to the original breeder is nice but not necessary. There are a lot of 'breeder/chucker' types that do just this.

If a breeder gives you a test pack...
That's what it's for. Nothing else...
Grow 'em out & keep the keepers & if you feel the keepers are worthy of breeding with, ask the original breeder for their blessings.

Landraces are open source, imo, no matter the method of acquisition.

A random non breeder friend gives you seeds... Do with as you like... They're public domain at that point.

Anything I make & hand out comes with the Alister Crowley blessing... "Do with these seeds what you will."

 

[Limeygreen]

If you look at DJ short, his are based on f4 or f5 inbred lines, you could do similar for your work then just go past your f6 to f7 and make the next generation available protecting previous generations work as it has changed leaving your previous generation secured mostly. Incorperating others work, if there is no protection on it then you can do as you wish, making mention of it is a good idea, or if you feel very strongly inbred to f7-f8 and it is no longer a unique variety that the f1 is and use that for your work.

 

[pinkus]

LOL. The proof is in the plants. There have been plenty of bull shit polyhybrids made from stellar lines.

You have the world by the tail. Don't try to be greedy with downstream genetics.