Today I read about a court case pitting the world's biggest seed company, Monsanto, against an Indiana seed farmer named Vernon Hugh Bowman. Monsanto, which produces genetically modified seeds, claimed that Bowman replanted soybeans that Monsanto had manufactured, which is against the law. In order for Monsanto to sell seeds each year, and thus to be profitable, they sell their seeds with the instructions that their seeds are not to be replanted so that farmers must repurchase these seeds from them yearly Bowman claims he purchased the soybeans from a grain elevator, a facility that distributes grain, and saved $30,000 doing so. However, Monsanto claims that Bowman has still violated their patent rights.
Many companies support Monsanto in their lawsuit, for the very obvious reason that if Bowman is allowed to reuse the seeds, that many companies will be vulnerable to having other people reproduce their products that they spent millions developing. For instance, Apple and Microsoft fear legislation in fear of Bowman could aid those who pirate software. I am personally inclined to side with Monsanto, although I believe they have too large of a monopoly on the seed industry. If Bowman were to win, then the patent rights of many companies would be at risk, which could slow down innovation in the United States.
Here is the link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-19/top-court-justices-signal-support-for-monsanto-on-patents.html
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