Monsanto won’t have to face a challenge to its patents on genetically modified seeds as long as it doesn’t sue organic farmers and seed sellers, a U.S. appeals court said today. The world’s largest seed company has made “binding assurances” that it won’t take patent action against farmers whose crops inadvertently contain traces of Monsanto’s biotechnology products, so there’s no reason to sue, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington said in an opinion posted on its website. The decision affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing the case. Monsanto has pursued more than 800 patent cases against farmers who plant its seeds without paying royalties. The case at issue today, filed in March 2011, was a preemptive action by farmers, seed sellers and agricultural groups that said they had no desire to sow the company’s seeds, took steps to avoid doing so and yet feared becoming litigation targets if traits modified by Monsanto showed up in their corn, soybeans or other crops. businessweek/news/2013-06-10/monsanto-wins-appeal-tossing-patent-suit-by-organic-farmers-1
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:54:10 +0000