Broccoli sprouts can't be patented, judge says.(Brief Article)

A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that a South Sacramento company can sprout all the broccoli seeds it wants.

"We are basically elated at the results," said Larry Kravitz, owner of Banner Mountain Sprouts, which employs eight and sells sprouts to the Raley's Inc. supermarket chain and Northern California wholesalers. "The judge granted everything that we asked for."

The ruling addresses a dispute that began last October when Johns Hopkins University and Brassica Protection Products, a Maryland company that claimed rights to commercialize two patents owned by the university, sued Banner Mountain Sprouts and four other companies that sell broccoli sprouts. …