This post examine whether there have been cases of lawsuits brought against farmers for unknowingly using GE seeds or inadvertent contamination.
Tag: patents
GMOs and Patents: Part 2 – Lawsuits against Farmers
A look at high-profile lawsuits against farmers for replanting GE seeds.
GMOs and Patents: Part 1 – Terminator Genes
This is the first of three posts examining the topic of GMOs and patents. As the first post in the series, I'll provide an overview on the topic of patents and will describe the concept of "terminator genes"; the second…
Off-patent GMO soybeans: What happens now?
The development, testing, and regulation of genetically engineered crops usually takes a significant investment of time and resources, and it comes as no surprise that these crops are patented so that their developers can recoup their investments. Farmers who grow…
“We Have a Right to Save Seeds. Right?”
So says a video produced by Open Solutions Project. I can appreciate that people want to be able save seeds. I grow a few herbs on my patio and it would be nice to be able to save the seeds... assuming…
High Court rules that farmers “make” seeds
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued their ruling on the Bowman v Monsanto case, siding unanimously in favor of Monsanto. The court rejected Bowman's arguments that Monsanto's patent "exhausted" when he purchased seeds from a grain elevator…
A Defense Of Plant And Crop Related Patents
I cannot share the concerns that are being so widely expressed about the role of patents in agriculture. In fact, I cannot imagine a path forward without them.
Bowman v. Monsanto
Tomorrow morning, the Supreme Court will hear case 11-796, Vernon Hugh Bowman v. Monsanto Company. The question they are considering is as follows: Patent exhaustion delimits rights of patent holders by eliminating the right to control or prohibit use of…
The history of patenting life
A major philosophical issue that many people have with biotechnology is patents on genes or whole organisms. It seems obvious that a plant, animal, or even bacterium is very different than a new piece of exercise equipment or anything else…