navigating the patent maze

From the Economic Research Service arm of the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture):

The Economic Research Service has a newly available online-searchable database on agricultural biotechnology patents. The database is freely available for use by all. This database identifies and describes U.S. utility patents on inventions in biotechnology and other biological processes*with issue dates between 1976 and 2000*that are used in food and agriculture. The database also provides information about the ownership of these patents, whether patents are held in the public or private sector, and changes in patent ownership due to firm mergers, acquisitions, and spinoffs. The database can be accessed at www.ers.usda.gov/data/AgBiotechIP. The attached PDF file provides a brief summary of information contained in the data.