US plant breeders win patent fight


11 December 2001



US plant breeders win patent fight


By FWi staff

PLANTS developed through human intervention can get broad patent protection under federal law, the US Supreme Court has decided.

The Financial Times reports that this ruling is a big victory for Pioneer Hi-Bred, the worlds largest producer of seed corn.

Newly-developed plant breeds, including those reproduced from seeds, fall under the laws jurisdiction.

For the past 20 years plant breeders have invested on the basis that seed-grown plants that have been altered by man are protected by patent law.

Farmers say that patents deprive them of the centuries-old right to save and replant seeds.

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