I hope Monsanto loses its hold on agriculture.

´Cuz Monsanto is creating food monopolies. Many of their GM seeds do not yield seeds that can be used to grow more crops. Farmers are forced to continually buy new seed. Even when farmers use unmodified seeds, they get cross-pollenated by accident and then Monsanto sends its goons to test your crops & demand payment when they find their genetic markers in your crops. They´re worse than the Mafia. They want to control all the food. There are many other things that go on, but suffice it to say that I am against what they are doing. At first, it helped a lot of third world farmers but then it hurt most of them as they couldn´t compete against giant agribusiness since they´re no longer able to get regular seeds. Prices are outrageously higher for the GM seeds & we´re losing biodiversity. Many of the new crops are now more susceptable to diseases, pests and mutations (incl. malformed flowers & fruit/vegetables). We´re also losing important insects & other critters who can´t use the new plants to survive.

This is an important case . . . which almost certainly guarantees the court will blow it.

I would be interested to know if the farmer went over his bin beans that he bought at the elevator with Roundup for weed control. You see, old timer bin beans would be killed if you used Roundup. So if the farmer went over the top of his bin beans with Roundup, he perfectly well knew he was taking advantage of Monsanto´s technology and not paying for it.

I would let the case hinge on that. But of course, I am not a judge, so I figure the SOTU will do some stupid, like let Roberts write the major opinion. I´m sure he will mess it up like Obamacare.

Seriously, I have no idea how this case should best be decided.

I just hope the horse meat supplies aren´t being tainted by GM food.

I side with the farmer. And not because Monsanto is a big bad bully (although they are in this case, IMHO). I´m very uncomfortable with a near-monopoly on seed production and extending that into future generations of seed is just silly.

I hope Monsanto loses. Im with #2--and he is stating exactly the case of small farmers here in Hudson Valley not to mention worldwide.

Monsanto is staffed with demons from Hades.

I´m with #7. Monsanto and their chemical food production is just creepy.

This is very interesting because the farmer bought the seed he used from a grain elevator, so to me the question becomes how was the grain promoted by the seller? If it was sold as round-up ready grain, why isn´t Monsanto sueing the elevator?
Also, when the harvested grain was sold, did it then have to be declared as round-up ready grain? The grain trade seperates genectically non-altered grain from altered grain because your Japanese TOFU doesn´t taste very good made from the genetically altered soybeans. It would be interesting to see who is backing the farmer in this situation with the money to fight the case all the way to the SCOTUS.

A farmer grow grain that is not GM´d. A bee comes along with GM´d polen and contaminates his natural crop. He takes seed from his crop for hi next planting. Some of his seed have GM markers. Don´t blame the farmer blame the bees.

This has nothing to do with patents. It has everything to do with Monsanto´s greed and criminal activity.

So, if I buy seeds and those seeds grow a plant that produces seeds, I can´t use them next year to grow crops?

So why isn´t the seed now mine, it grew on my property, using my water, my fertilizer, my soil and my CO2. How is it that Monsanto says MY seeds can´t be used and I have to buy more of theirs?

This is insanity. Patents only apply to the original item. Monsanto´s claim that they own the results of the seed is the same as saying that Apple owns your data because you put it on their IPhone...BS!

I believe the patent and copyright system in this country has largely been applied to benefit the rich and powerful. If some individual invents something of great value, a very wealth company can produce a product based on that invention and, if fought on it, keep the original inventors in court for years or, hire enough lawyers to beat him outright. And copyrights? That´s a mess that caters to a few very wealthy.