Tony Mata is a meat inventor. Obviously, he didn't invent meat; his job is figuring out new things to do with it.
Mata thinks he discovered a new steak—a novel way to cut up a chunk of beef that's currently not worth much. He's so excited about his discovery that he's trying to patent it.
Today on the show: can you patent a steak? We visit the workshop of Gene Gagliardi, the inventor of Steak-Umm and KFC's popcorn chicken. And we try to figure out what meat inventors tell us about patents and innovation.
More from Planet Money:
* Video: It's Not Just A Guy Cutting Chicken. It's A Patent.
* In The Kitchen With The Inventor Of Steak-Umm
Note: Today's show is a rerun. It originally ran in August 2012.
Music: Fields of Ohio's "Anti-Saloon League Midnight Mystery" and Cold Specks' "Blank Maps." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify/ Tumblr.
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