Dive Brief:
- Scientist John Hnatio, chief science officer and founder of FoodQuestTQ in Frederick, Md., alleges the U.S. Food and Drug Administration infringed upon his intellectual property.
- Hnatio says the FDA used his trade secrets to create a tool available on its website free of charge, and that his company was blacklisted as a result.
- The FDA's tool is said to be similar to a software suite developed by FoodQuest TQ to help determine food supply threat and safety levels, and its alleged infringement caused FoodQuest to lose business and lay off employees.
Dive Insight:
Hnatio's company was un-invited from an FDA focus group in 2012, and his visit to the agency's site following that was when he first became aware of the alleged infringement. According to a Nov. 20 letter, his complaints have been forwarded to the Health and Human Services' inspector general by the Small Business Administration's Office of the National Ombudsman. Whether the case is investigated or not is still up in the air.
