date:May 15, 2013
Monsanto has won what many commentators believe is a landmark patent case that could have implications for the future of agriculture.
The case concerned a farmer from Indiana who had bought Monsantos patented GM soybeans. The seeds are modified to make them resistant to the weedkiller Roundup Ready. The farmer, Vernon Bowman, used the seeds to plant a late crop, with a view to creating seeds for the following season, rather than harvesting them as his contract with Monsanto required him to do.