Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) today reaffirmed its intellectual property rights for GA21(R) glyphosate-tolerance technology used in some varieties of glyphosate-tolerant corn. While today Syngenta announced it had purchased claims to some parts of the GA21(R) technology from Bayer CropScience, Syngenta is not licensed under the intellectual property of Monsanto.

Monsanto holds a patent on the fundamental technique used in producing glyphosate-tolerant plants, which would be required to commercialize varieties of glyphosate-tolerant corn in the United States. Monsanto had not previously licensed Bayer CropScience to its proprietary intellectual property for use in corn.

"There are absolutely no new commercial developments today as nothing in the commercial situation has changed simply because some claims have been purchased by Syngenta," said Carl Casale, executive vice president of Monsanto.  "The bottom line is Bayer did not have a license for the intellectual property owned by Monsanto, and Syngenta does not have a license either."

The GA21(R) technology has largely been phased out in the marketplace in favor of an improved glyphosate-tolerant event called "NK603," which has been in the market since 2001.  Today, Monsanto's NK603 is commercially marketed as "Roundup Ready(R) Corn 2."

The NK603 technology is standard in Monsanto's DEKALB and Asgrow brands and is licensed for use by independent corn seed companies throughout the United States.  Additionally, NK603 has obtained a broad number of regulatory clearances globally and is in the final stages of the regulatory review process in the European Union.

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

GA21 and Roundup Ready are registered trademarks of Monsanto Company.