On Apr. 29, 2026, in a letter to growers and nurseries, a Washington State University (WSU) official said the Washington exclusivity period for the WA 38 apple will be extended through the patent expiration date of May 26, 2032.

WA 38, an apple developed at WSU and marketed under the brand name Cosmic Crisp, will remain a fruit exclusively grown in Washington for six more years. The original exclusivity period, established to honor the critical role Washington growers played in the development of the variety through collaboration and direct funding, was scheduled to expire in 2027.

“WSU recognizes that the Washington apple industry’s involvement in ‘WA 38’ continues well beyond its initial commercialization,” wrote Jeremy Tamsen, senior director of innovation and entrepreneurship within WSU’s Office of Research. In an email, Tamsen said the original exclusivity sunset was set at the signing date of the initial commercial licenses, before WSU could know the full extent of the impact Cosmic Crisp would make on the market.

Cosmic Crisp was bred in 1997 by Bruce Barritt, then the apple breeder at the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee. In 2014, the variety was given a name that refers to its parentage — the fruit is a hybrid of Honeycrisp and Enterprise — as well as the mouthfeel and starry white spots on the apple’s skin.

The apple first reached consumers in 2019 and Washington now is growing 22 million Cosmic Crisp trees. In fiscal 2025, WSU generated more than $8 million in royalties from Cosmic Crisp.