Recently at the European Patent Office Indian scientists, led by Professor UP Singh of the Banaras Hindu University, were able to successfully block attempts by a US company to secure the patent on neem oil. The efforts by Professor Singh and his colleagfues resulted in the withdrawal of a patent that had been awarded to the United States Department of Agriculture and chemical giant WR Grace in 1995 for a process to extract oil from the neem plant for its use as a plant pesticide.