The Open Source Seeds Initiative is actually sending out seed as of this week, according to a press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
29 new varieties of broccoli, celery, kale, quinoa and other vegetables and grains … are being publicly released using a novel form of ownership agreement known as the Open Source Seed Pledge.
The pledge is far simpler than many of the alternatives that were being discussed as recently as last summer, when we spoke to Jack Kloppenburg, one of the OSSI’s founders.
“It’s almost like a haiku,” says Irwin Goldman a professor of horticulture at UW-Madison and plant breeder, who has released two of his carrot varieties under the OSSI. “It basically says these seeds are free to use in any way you want. They can’t be legally protected. Enjoy them.”
There’s a longer report at NPR.
Am I the only one that thinks the pledge is a little in conflict with itself?
First it says you can’t put any restrictions on the seeds. Then it says you’re restricted in how you redistribute them, and have to pass this restriction on to others?
I think the idea is interesting, but the wording needs some work.