Today i received a request to demonstrate against Pepsi for using Stevia as a plant extract without paying 'indegenous people' for its use. I have heard the same argument used for Hoodia and other plants used by 'indegenous people'. We have a patent system tah rewards people who invent things with 25 year rights to that invention after it launches into public domain, For pharmaceuticals after all licensig and testing this gives roughly 8 years Stevia has been used as a sweetener of over a thousand years so wtf does someone get the idea that any peoples have rights over it? Do Ethiopians have a monopoloy in Coffee? Chinese over Tea? Actually should Peru get money every time uses a potato? On what possible legal basis do any of these campaigns make their assertions?
Ridiculous. If anything, the Japanese should pay the Stevia fines--they've been using it since the 1970s.