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Monsanto gets massive damages for patent infringement

By  |  August 2, 2012

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    DuPont will pay $1 billion in damages to Monsanto for willfully infringing its patent protecting the Roundup Ready soy gene. The federal jury made its decision in less than an hour following a near month-long trial held in the US District Court in St. Louis. DuPont is preparing to appeal, stressing that the jury had been deprived of important facts and arguments that may have changed the outcome. DuPont will likely also appeal the $1 billion amount of damages specifically, as it never actually put its patent-infringing soybeans on the market.

    DuPont has a suit pending against Monsanto that claims its competitor uses its patents in a way that violates antitrust laws.

    Monsanto’s Roundup Ready gene is found in over 90 percent of US soybeans, and allows farmers to use herbicide without damaging their crop.

    Full content: NY Times

     

    Related content: Transgenic Seed: The High Technology Test of Antitrust?

     

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