Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that a jury has found in favor of Monsanto Company and co-defendant DowAgroSciences in a patent infringement case brought by Syngenta Seeds, Inc.

“The jury’s finding in this case is further confirmation of the fact that Monsanto's scientists were the first to invent this important technology,” said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto. “This legal victory will help ensure that Monsanto can continue to deliver important crop-improvement technology, such as crops improved with synthetic Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) genes, to growers in the United States and abroad.”

Monsanto Company first brought insect-protected corn to the marketplace in the form of YieldGard Corn Borer in 1997. Syngenta Seeds had alleged that the technology used in YieldGard Corn Borer infringed certain of their patents.

The July 25, 2002, Syngenta Seeds patent suit filed in the U.S. District Court in Delaware alleges infringement of three patents issued between June 2000 and June 2002: patent numbers 6,075,185; 6,320,100; and 6,403,865. During the course of the trial, the Court ruled in favor of Monsanto on two of the patents (6,075,185 and 6,320,100). Today, the jury’s verdict was the remaining patent was invalid (6,403,865).

Monsanto Company a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.

YieldGard is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC