U.S. judge rules for Monsanto

Sunday, June 3, 2012

An American group called Family Farmers wants Monsanto Company to provide a legally binding covenant not to sue for patent infringement if a field is inadvertently contaminated with pollen from transgenic crops.

In February, U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled for Monsanto, writing that defendants "have never filed a patent infringement suit against a certified organic farm or handling operation over the presence of patented traits in its operations."

The Public Patent Foundation, which is funding the farm group's appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, complains that Monsanto "acknowledges filing 144 lawsuits against American family farmers while settling another 700 cases out of court for undisclosed amounts and imposing gag orders on farmers."

Buchwald wrote in February that "this average of roughly 13 lawsuits per year is hardly significant when compared to the number of farms in the United States, approximately two million." BF