 Verma has argued that DNA barcoding, a technique independently described by zoologist Paul D N Hebert in 2003, is essentially the same as universal primer technology (UPT) and that both utilize standardized, short stretch of DNA from mitochondrial genome, amplified using the specific universal primers, to assign the identity of an unknown biological sample to a particular species.Verma claimed that UPT was described earlier than DNA barcoding in his patents, and publication; therefore, it should be fairly credited.However, Hebert argued that he was not aware of UPT because its patents were not visible to the broader scientific community due to a substantial interval from its filing in 2001 to grant in 2006.