The Plant Patent Office
The USPTO grants plant patents for this period, from the date of filing.
What is 20 years?
This company patented a technology that lets users rent movies by mail. In 2006, it found itself at the center of a major patent dispute with a competitor over the technology behind its subscription service.
What is Netflix?
In 1988, Harvard University earned the first U.S. patent on a living, multicellular organism for this cancer-susceptible rodent.
What is the OncoMouse?
In November 2025, an EU trademark application for “AstroCartoGraphy” has caused a crisis of international magnitude among members of this branch of science, claiming that the mark is a foundational, descriptive term for the discipline of mapping planets.
What is astrology?
To keep its name from becoming generic, Johnson & Johnson changed its jingle to "I am stuck on ___ brand."
What is Band-Aid?
For plants to be qualified for patent protection, they must be asexually reproduced, meaning they can be propagated through granting, rooting or tissue culture, but NOT by this.
What is seed (or seeds)?
In the early 2000’s, this toy company fought over who owned the IP behind the Bratz dolls. The dispute began when a former employee who had worked on Barbie developed the Bratz concept while still employed by the company.
What is Mattel?
While scientists patented the process used to clone this famous sheep, courts ruled the animal herself couldn't be patented because her genetic material wasn't man-made.
Who is Dolly?
In 1930, Ruth Wakefield invented this culinary innovation that became a household staple and demonstrated that patents are not limited to mechanical or scientific inventions, but can also cover culinary creations.
What is the chocolate chip cookie?
In 2017, this fastener company released a music video of its lawyers begging people to say "hook and loop" instead of its brand name.
What is Velcro?
Plant patent applications are most like this type of patent application.
What is a “utility” patent?
This instant-camera company famously sued Kodak in 1976 for patent infringement after Kodak entered the instant-photography market. The dispute ended in Kodak being ordered to stop selling its instant cameras and film and pay hundreds of millions of dollars.
What is Polaroid?
Originally designed to detect water pollution, these glowing aquarium fish that have natural fluorescent proteins injected into their genomes became the world's first patented genetically modified pets, making it illegal for hobbyists to breed and sell them.
What are GloFish?
In 2017, the Supreme Court applied a “separability” test and held that the chevrons, stripes, and color blocks on these garments could be protected by copyright.
What are cheerleading uniforms?
In 1965, Duncan lost its trademark on the name of this up-and-down string toy.
What is the yo-yo?
In 2020, this “Knock Out” type of flower was patented for its disease resistance, prolific blooming, and low maintenance requirements.
What is a rose?
This company sued competitors over its famous foam clogs, asserting U.S. Patent No. 6,993,858 and U.S. Design Patent No. D517,789. The latter covered the ornamental design of the now-iconic footwear.
What is Crocs?
Approved as the first genetically modified animal for human consumption, this fast-growing fish reaches market size in 18 months instead of the typical three years.
What is the AquAdvantage Salmon?
In 2019, the EUIPO revoked McDonald’s EU trademark for this burger name, in a dispute brought by Irish chain Supermac’s, because McDonald’s failed to show genuine use.
What is Big Mac?
Bayer once held the trademark on this pain reliever's name. After World War I it lost those rights in several countries, including the U.S.
What is aspirin?
This fruit, widely available at our local grocery stores, was patented by researchers at the University of Minnesota in 1991, for its unique flavor and texture, and has been licensed to many growers.
What is the “Honeycrisp” apple?
Before becoming one of the biggest names in fitness, this company was sued by NEC over streaming technology used in its connected bikes. In 2026, a jury found infringement of U.S. Patent No. 8,752,101 and awarded $20.5 million.
What is Peloton?
PETA filed a copyright lawsuit on behalf of this crested macaque after he snapped a famously grinning selfie in 2011, though federal courts ultimately ruled that animals cannot hold copyrights.
Who is Naruto?
In 2017, the Court struck down the Lanham Act’s ban on registering “disparaging” marks in a case brought by an Asian-American dance-rock band with this name.
What is The Slants?
Bayer also trademarked this name in 1898 for a cough medicine. The substance is now an illegal opioid.
What is heroin?