Hearing on appeal against a patent on lettuce
European Patent Office intends to adhere to its questionable decisions
17 September 2026 / The European Patent Office (EPO) will hold a public hearing on 22 September, to decide upon an appeal filed by No Patents on Seeds! against a patent on lettuce (EP2966992). The trait of the lettuce may become important in the context of climate change, as the seeds remain viable even at higher temperatures. However, access to these seeds is controlled by the patent holder, the Dutch company, Rijk Zwaan. The lettuce was not genetically engineered, it was simply selected from a large number of randomly mutated plants.
