Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
December 15, 2008
Three Quebec farmers from the
Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region in Quebec who have admitted they
infringed Monsanto's patent by growing Roundup Ready® crops
without the required license will pay
Monsanto thousands of
dollars in settlement money.
Through its annual technology protection audit program, Monsanto
Canada discovered the violations and worked with the three
growers to come up with settlement terms agreeable to both
sides. All the growers involved agreed to pay Monsanto $200 per
acre for their infringement.
"We have a duty to protect our intellectual property and keep
the playing field level for all growers who purchase and grow
Monsanto patented technologies," said Trish Jordan, Monsanto
Canada spokesperson. "It is through the licensing of patents
that we recoup the significant investments we have made in these
new technologies and this allows us to reinvest those dollars to
bring future beneficial technologies to growers."
Monsanto patents many of the trait technologies it develops and
believes patents are necessary to ensure they are paid for their
innovations and the significant investments it puts into
developing new, beneficial products for growers.
"Monsanto invests more than $2.5 million per day in research and
development that ultimately benefits farmers and consumers.
Without patent protection, this would not be possible," says
Jordan.
When farmers purchase a patented Monsanto seed variety, they
sign an agreement that they will not save and replant those
seeds. More than 40,000 Canadian growers each year make the
personal choice to buy technologies under these agreements.
Other seed companies sell their seed under similar provisions.
"The majority of farmers in Canada understand and appreciate our
research and are willing to pay for our inventions and the value
they provide. They don't think it's fair that some farmers don't
pay," said Jordan.
In the case of the three Quebec growers, the infringements
resulted from growing, harvesting and selling Roundup Ready
canola which they knew contained patented technology they had
not paid to use.
Monsanto is committed to pursuing patent infringement actions
against other farmers who have planted Roundup Ready crops
without paying the applicable fee to do so. In addition to the
Quebec violations, which have now been settled, Monsanto is
currently pursuing litigation with four growers in Ontario for
patent infringement. Judgments have been obtained against all
four growers - Charles Rivett of Cookstown, Ontario; and Ron and
Lawrence Janssens and Alan Kerkhof of Wallaceburg, Ontario. The
judgments include a finding that these growers knowingly
infringed Monsanto's patent rights by growing, harvesting and
selling Roundup Ready crops.
Under dispute, however, is the amount owed to Monsanto as a
result of these intentional infringements. Final amounts due to
Monsanto will be determined by a judge of the Federal Court of
Canada in hearings scheduled for January 2009 in Toronto.
Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Monsanto Canada Inc. is
part of the larger global Monsanto family. Monsanto Company is
an agricultural company and a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy. |
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