USDAgov
WASHINGTON, DC, May 14, 2013 – In a unanimous ruling Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an Indiana farmer had infringed on Monsanto’s patent rights by planting genetically modified soybeans he purchased from a grain elevator instead of the company or its authorized dealers.
Biotech giant Monsanto produces and sells a genetically modified soybean that is engineered to withstand the herbicide Roundup, also made by Monsanto. Farmers who purchase Roundup Ready soybeans must also sign a licensing agreement that allows them to plant the purchased seed in only one season.
