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Beyond the Rows is a Monsanto Company blog focused on one of the world’s most important industries, agriculture. Monsanto employees write about Monsanto’s business, the agriculture industry, and the farmer.avatar Monsantoco Posts

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Tag Archives: Patent

Windmill

OSGATA v. Monsanto: A Ruling for All Agriculture

It’s been a favorite theme on social media for months: “300,000 farmers sue Monsanto.” The lawsuit was filed by the Public Patent Foundation on behalf of The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and others. It sought to invalidate Monsanto’s patents because of alleged fears of Monsanto exercising its patent rights and suing farmers if crops were inadvertently cross-pollinated. Monsanto had said its longstanding practice had been not to do that in the few cases where it had happened.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York considered the facts and the arguments. And then the … Full Article »

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Originally published
February 27, 2012 by Glynn Young

An Update on Roundup Ready Patent Expiration

Recent articles (see here, here and here) have discussed patent expiration for Roundup Ready® soybeans. In light of these articles and ongoing interest in the subject, the timing seems right to remind readers of our post-patent plans.

The last Monsanto-owned patent for Roundup Ready soybeans will expire in 2014, and the last applicable third-party patent will expire in early 2015. That means independent seed companies will no longer owe trait royalty payment to Monsanto beginning in 2015. Farmers will have access to a generic trait offering beginning in the 2015 planting season.

Monsanto has had numerous discussions … Full Article »

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Originally published
May 2, 2011 by Nick Weber

PUBPAT Allegations Are False, Misleading and Deceptive

On Tuesday, the Public Patent Foundation, a legal services foundation aimed at changing U.S. patent law, filed suit against Monsanto on behalf of organic interests. We’ve briefly read the allegations of the PUBPAT suit and press statement and find many of these allegations to be false, misleading and deceptive.

Here are the facts:

  • It has never been, nor will it be Monsanto policy to exercise its patent rights where trace amounts of our patented seed or traits are present in farmer’s fields as a result of inadvertent means.

Biotechnology crops have provided a wealth of benefits to farmers and the … Full Article »

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Originally published
March 29, 2011 by Monsantoco

Monsanto Plans for Roundup Ready® Soybeans Post Patent

The world’s most widely adopted biotech trait, Roundup Ready® soybeans, is set to go off patent soon in the U.S. – the last applicable Monsanto-owned patent is expected to expire in 2014. Although it’s still several years off, we’ve been discussing our thoughts about a post-patent environment for the past several years. These discussions culminated in communications with our seed licensees at the American Seed Trade Association annual meeting, held the first week of December.

As the company that first introduced biotech soybeans to the market, we’re also the first company to deal with figuring out what to do … Full Article »

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Originally published
December 16, 2009 by Mica Veihman