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Revision as of 03:42, 16 May 2013 editCool Hand Luke (talk | contribs)14,522 edits Rewrite to put the horse more in front of the cart. Who says this was an unusual amount of coverage? Patent cases at the Supreme Court attract a lot of attention, and this article only covers it superficially.← Previous edit Revision as of 03:49, 16 May 2013 edit undoCool Hand Luke (talk | contribs)14,522 edits Rearrange and re-add a fact dropped in previous editNext edit →
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==Background== ==Background==


In 2007, Monsanto sued Indiana farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman for patent infringement.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision">''Monsanto Co. v. Bowman'', {{West|F|657|3|1341|Fed. Cir.|2011|}}</ref> Monsanto alleged that infringement began in 1999 when Bowman, believing that a loophole existed under patent exhaustion, purchased mixed soybean seeds from a grain elevator and planted them.<ref name=NYT /> Bowman purchased these seeds for his second planting from the same elevator where he and neighbors sold their crops, many of which were transgenic.<ref name=NYT /> The elevator sold the soybeans as commodities, not as seeds for planting.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /><ref name=PatentDocsBowman>{{cite web|url=http://www.patentdocs.org/2011/09/monsanto-co-v-bowman-fed-cir-2011.html |title=Monsanto Co. v. Bowman (Fed. Cir. 2011) |publisher=Patent Docs |date=September 22, 2011}}</ref> <ref name=NYT />. He tested the new seeds, and found that as he had expected, some were resistant to ] (commonly marketed as RoundUp).<ref name=NYT /> He replanted seeds from the original second harvest in subsequent years for his second seasonal planting, supplementing them with more soybeans he bought at the elevator.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /> He informed Monsanto of his activities.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /><ref name=NYT /> Monsanto stated that he was infringing their patents because the soybeans he bought from the elevator were new products that he purchased for use as seeds without a license from Monsanto; Bowman stated that he had not infringed due to ] on the first sale of seed to whatever farmers had produced the crops that he bought from the elevator, on the grounds that for seed, all future generations are embodied in the first generation that was originally sold.<ref name=PatentDocsBowman /> In 2007, Monsanto sued Indiana farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman for patent infringement.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision">''Monsanto Co. v. Bowman'', {{West|F|657|3|1341|Fed. Cir.|2011|}}</ref> Monsanto alleged that infringement began in 1999 when Bowman, believing that a loophole existed under patent exhaustion, purchased mixed soybean seeds from a grain elevator and planted them for his second planting that year.<ref name=NYT /> Bowman purchased these seeds from the same elevator where he and neighbors sold their crops, many of which were transgenic,<ref name=NYT /> and it the elevator sold soybeans as commodities, not as seeds for planting.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /><ref name=PatentDocsBowman>{{cite web|url=http://www.patentdocs.org/2011/09/monsanto-co-v-bowman-fed-cir-2011.html |title=Monsanto Co. v. Bowman (Fed. Cir. 2011) |publisher=Patent Docs |date=September 22, 2011}}</ref> <ref name=NYT />. He tested the new seeds, and found that as he had expected, some were resistant to ], a herbicide marketed under the trade name Roundup.<ref name=NYT /> He replanted seeds from the original second harvest in subsequent years for his second seasonal planting, supplementing them with more soybeans he bought at the elevator.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /> He informed Monsanto of his activities.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /><ref name=NYT /> Monsanto stated that he was infringing their patents because the soybeans he bought from the elevator were new products that he purchased for use as seeds without a license from Monsanto; Bowman stated that he had not infringed due to ] on the first sale of seed to whatever farmers had produced the crops that he bought from the elevator, on the grounds that for seed, all future generations are embodied in the first generation that was originally sold.<ref name=PatentDocsBowman /> Bowman had previously purchased and planted Monsanto seeds under a contract promising not to save seeds from the resulting crop.<ref name=NYT />


In 2009, the district court ruled in favor of Monsanto; on appeal, the Federal Circuit upheld the verdict.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /> Bowman appealed to the ], which granted review,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/10/court-grants-7-new-cases/ |title=Court grants seven new cases (UPDATED) |publisher=SCOTUSblog |date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> then unanimously affirmed the Federal Circuit on May 13, 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/business/monsanto-victorious-in-genetic-seed-case.html |title=Monsanto Wins Case on Genetically Altered Soybeans |author=Adam Liptak | publisher=''New York Times'' |date=May 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>''Bowman v. Monsanto Co. et al.'', No. 11–796, (S.Ct. May 13, 2013).</ref> In 2009, the district court ruled in favor of Monsanto; on appeal, the Federal Circuit upheld the verdict.<ref name="Bowman CAFC decision" /> Bowman appealed to the ], which granted review,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/10/court-grants-7-new-cases/ |title=Court grants seven new cases (UPDATED) |publisher=SCOTUSblog |date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> then unanimously affirmed the Federal Circuit on May 13, 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/business/monsanto-victorious-in-genetic-seed-case.html |title=Monsanto Wins Case on Genetically Altered Soybeans |author=Adam Liptak | publisher=''New York Times'' |date=May 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>''Bowman v. Monsanto Co. et al.'', No. 11–796, (S.Ct. May 13, 2013).</ref>

Revision as of 03:49, 16 May 2013

2013 United States Supreme Court case
Bowman v. Monsanto Co.
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided March 19, 2013
Full case nameVernon Hugh Bowman, Petitioner v. Monsanto Company, et al.
Docket no.11-796
Holding
Patent exhaustion does not permit a farmer to reproduce patented seeds through planting and harvesting without the patent holder's permission.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan

Bowman v. Monsanto Co. is a United States Supreme Court patent decision in which the Court unanimously affirmed the Federal Circuit and held that patent exhaustion does not permit a farmer to reproduce patented seeds through planting and harvesting without the patent owner's permission. The decision was in favor of the plaintiff and patent owner, Monsanto. The case garnered an unusual amount of attention in part of its potential impact on genetic and self-replicating technologies and political concerns over the passage of a bill drafted in part by Monsanto and Justice Clarence Thomas, who previously served as a lawyer for Monsanto. The narrow scope of the ruling made the impact of the case very small, and specifically avoided the setting a broad legal precedent.

Background

In 2007, Monsanto sued Indiana farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman for patent infringement. Monsanto alleged that infringement began in 1999 when Bowman, believing that a loophole existed under patent exhaustion, purchased mixed soybean seeds from a grain elevator and planted them for his second planting that year. Bowman purchased these seeds from the same elevator where he and neighbors sold their crops, many of which were transgenic, and it the elevator sold soybeans as commodities, not as seeds for planting. . He tested the new seeds, and found that as he had expected, some were resistant to glyphosate, a herbicide marketed under the trade name Roundup. He replanted seeds from the original second harvest in subsequent years for his second seasonal planting, supplementing them with more soybeans he bought at the elevator. He informed Monsanto of his activities. Monsanto stated that he was infringing their patents because the soybeans he bought from the elevator were new products that he purchased for use as seeds without a license from Monsanto; Bowman stated that he had not infringed due to patent exhaustion on the first sale of seed to whatever farmers had produced the crops that he bought from the elevator, on the grounds that for seed, all future generations are embodied in the first generation that was originally sold. Bowman had previously purchased and planted Monsanto seeds under a contract promising not to save seeds from the resulting crop.

In 2009, the district court ruled in favor of Monsanto; on appeal, the Federal Circuit upheld the verdict. Bowman appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which granted review, then unanimously affirmed the Federal Circuit on May 13, 2013.

In the Supreme Court case, Seth P. Waxman, a lawyer arguing on behalf of Monsanto and a former United States solicitor general, argued, "Without the ability to limit reproduction of soybeans containing this patented trait, Monsanto could not have commercialized its invention and never would have produced what is, by now, the most popular agricultural technology in America." First made in 1996, the Roundup Ready soybean is used in more than 90 percent of the 275,000 soybean farms in the United States.

Ruling

Patent exhaustion does not permit a farmer to reproduce patented seeds through planting and harvesting without the patent holder's permission.

Reaction

The case received an unusual amount of attention in the months leading up to the decision. Clarence Thomas, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, had formerly served as a lawyer for the Monsanto. As the case was being heard, the Farmer Assurance Provision (also known as Monsanto Protection Act by critics) was signed into law by President Obama after garnering more then 250,000 signatures to oppose it. Another concern was how the doctrine of patent exhaustion for self-replicating technologies will be viewed by the court. Among the most interested parties included researchers and businesses that focus on DNA molecules, nanotechnologies and other self-replicating technologies, but the court's narrow ruling applies only to this specific case.

The decision was reported in nationally and internationally by various news sources including the Washington Post, USA Today, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Los Angeles Times. The UK Guardian and France24 were among the first international publications to run a story on the decision.

References

  1. ^ Monsanto Co. v. Bowman, Dkt. No. 2010-1068, 657 F.3d 1341 (Fed. Cir. 2011)
  2. ^ "Supreme Court Appears to Defend Patent on Soybean". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  3. ^ "Monsanto Co. v. Bowman (Fed. Cir. 2011)". Patent Docs. September 22, 2011.
  4. "Court grants seven new cases (UPDATED)". SCOTUSblog. October 5, 2012.
  5. Adam Liptak (May 13, 2013). "Monsanto Wins Case on Genetically Altered Soybeans". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. Bowman v. Monsanto Co. et al., No. 11–796, slip op. (S.Ct. May 13, 2013).
  7. "BOWMAN v . MONSANTO CO. ET AL . CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT No. 11–796. Argued February 19, 2013—Decided May 13, 2013" (PDF). United States Supreme Court. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  8. "Monsanto wins landmark patent case in Supreme Court". RT. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  9. "'Monsanto Protection Act' slips silently through US Congress". RT. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  10. "Obama signs 'Monsanto Protection Act' written by Monsanto-sponsored senator". RT. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  11. "Replication without Human Intervention: Lessons from Monsanto v. Bowman". The National Law Review. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  12. "High court rules for Monsanto in soybean patent case Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/13/high-court-rules-for-monsanto-in-soybean-patent-case/#ixzz2TH5f3h94". Fox News. Retrieved 2013-05-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  13. "Supreme Court rules for Monsanto, says farmer violated genetically modified soybeans' patent". Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  14. "Supreme Court sides with Monsanto in major patent case". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  15. "Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Monsanto in Patent Case". Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  16. "Monsanto Wins Seed Case as High Court Backs Patent Rights". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  17. "Supreme Court rules in favor of Monsanto in seed-patenting case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  18. "Supreme Court rules for Monsanto in Indiana farmer's GM seeds case". Guardian. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  19. "US Supreme Court finds for Monsanto in seed patent battle". France24. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
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