Monsanto Patent Infringement Lawsuits: Case Study

Monsanto positions itself as a relatively new agricultural company having formed in 2002, and focused on supporting local farmers around the world. They also promote themselves as a guardian of the environment with a mission “to produce more food while conserving more” (Monsanto.com). Today’s Monsanto conglomerate also promotes itself as the “New Merchants,” a leading research company in the field of agriculture-crop production, as well as a strong supporter of public and private research through its grant, donations and University scholarship programs.

Monsanto is a company, which is selling genetically modified seeds and herbicides. The company claims that the GMO's have no health hazards. By showing the facts that the most GMO's are resistant to pest and pesticides, the company tried to reach a worldwide status.

Companies like Monsanto's should not be able to patent seeds because due to this we have been losing so many varieties of vegetables and fruits.According to The Future Of Foods, only 2% of the USA’s population is a farmer. Due to this it leaves us with 98% of us as non-farmers, because of this labor on vegetables and fruits have grown tremendously.In the 1800's very little potatoes grew in Ireland this started great hunger and thousands of people died due to that.A similar thing happened in Spain but the outcome was very different, not that many people died. This happened because in Ireland there were only a few varieties of potatoes and due to this most of the potatoes that people used to eat were gone.In Spain the same thing happened but

directly on individual needs and the honesty of scientists and lawmakers. The best interest of the people is emphasized, in response to the fact that all the risks of GMOs are not yet known. Even though understanding potential risks is of chief importance to human health, GMO proponents make it clear that there is more to GMOs then their potential risks. For example, a newly created genetically altered rice is “outperforming its natural kind—given less moisture, the non- engineered rice browns and wilts, but the new plant survives (Ostrander, “Can GMOs Help…?”)”. The goal of GMO creation is not to be secretive about various risks, but it is to create products that are better than their originals. Monsanto, the prime inventor and activist of GMOs, states his products are “agricultural, including Roundup, an herbicide that the company invented in 1970. Its premier products, among the most common GM crops on the market, are “Round-up Ready”—varieties of soybeans, corn, alfalfa, cotton, canola and sugar beets whose DNA has been modified to keep them from dying when doused with Roundup (Ostrander, “Can GMOs Help…?”)”. Not only are the products shaped to generate more food in a short span of time, but they are crafted with healthful ingredients that can benefit consumers. Monsanto and other GMOs proponents do not want

Monsanto the first company to make GMOs using biotechnology has several patents that give them ownership of using processes to insert one organisms genes into crop seeds to change them to have certain desired traits

“According to a 2008 analysis by the United nations, Monsanto only accounts for thirty percent of seed market globally” (Gregory 765) Unlike the United States government who works cooperatively with GMO industry, the European approach has a suspicion of science and mistrust of both government and industry. (Gregory 765)

Like many other companies that manufacture chemicals, Monsanto has been under strict public scrutiny on its effect on the environment. The processes involved in the manufacture of some of its products pose potential harm to the world’s natural resources (Hocking, 2016). This has triggered demonstrations by environmental activists in various locations that Monsanto operates in. Such controversy is not favorable for the company’s public image. Since the manufacturer concentrates on agricultural products that directly affect human life, the company faces various moral challenges on the effects of its products on the society. There have been incidents in the past whereby toxic chemical traces have been found in genetically modified food that was

In the early 20th century, Monsanto began as a chemical company, producing hormones, fertilizers, pesticides, and toxins. In the 1980’s, their focus switched from chemical production to seed, bio-genetic research, and agricultural products (Anderson, 2014). It was only in trying to enter the British and European Union markets in the late 90’s that there was a significant backlash against the company, the effects of which can still be felt in a continued reticence towards Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Europe to this day. From there, however, Monsanto has spread to almost every country and continent in the world, selling fast growing cotton to India

Genetically modified seeds patent protection is vital for every firm and this does make the cost of seeds more expensive to the point were some of the poorest farmers are not able to afford them. In order to ensure that farmers are not saving seeds for their next crop they Monsanto has “seed Police” to protect the productions of their seeds. The company maintains that their products are patented and cannot be reproduced or saved for future use. Buyers sign an agreement containing this information at the time of their purchase stating they understand this agreement. Although not all farmers abide by these stipulations and it has resulted in court hearings due to the cost to purchase their seeds, which has resulted in the seed police.

2.) Legal- Monsanto is the dominate player in the seed business. The negative consequence of their success is consumer concern over genetically modified products. The two main concerns involve consuming genetically modified foods and the environmental

Monsanto is known for their genetically modified seeds, with biotechnology, scientists are able to insert new genes into existing genes and then planting it. Unlike any other GM seeds, Monsanto seeds are known to be set up with their Roundup herbicide, which can help get rid of unwanted weeds and bugs from infesting crops’ growth. Some of the company initiatives are to produce seeds that are able to establish higher crop yields or to have their plants repel insects. Although, Monsanto has been very successful in growing crops such as corn, cotton, soybeans, and canola. Many stakeholders such as consumers were unsure about their products, due to factors like having herbicide in their plants, which may cause health concerns. In 2003, Monsanto’s

They are consistently developing new product, new seed traits, so as patents expire they can start marketing the next step up, similar to buying new version of phones each year that are essentially the same, but fine-tuned with possibly a new feature in the mix. Roughly 80% of corn and 93% of the soybeans in the US gown are sold by either Monsanto or one of their licensees (Mitchell, 2014). In fact, GMO’s are dominant across most major crops in the United States, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets, and canola, and Monsanto holds the largest shares of each of these markets (Mitchell, 2014). This makes it easier for Monsanto to make up for losses in one market by selling more seed in another. In the farming industry, farmers often switch up their crops from year to year depending on soil, climate and other projected

The class discussion for this week is about our first case review concerning Monsanto. Monsanto is a multinational corporation that has had a lot of legal issues and poor decisions made since its inception in 1901. The company’s name has been tarnished multiple times and after each occurrence it seems as if their solution is to change the company focus and alter their name. Despite the lawsuits and settlements, Monsanto continues to be a profitable company. They have switched focus yet again to biotechnology and genetically modified plant seeds. Per the case review, they are the world’s largest seed company, handle over $11.5 billion in sales, and hold a 70-100% market share on crops.

Monsanto’s corporate reputation is a shady as ever. It seems from the reading that the company has many good products, but has a trend of allowing serious health risks to be discovered when it is already too late. The company simply pays its way out of trouble every single time. International Business Times says the company’s “roundup resistant wheat has shown up in Oregon” (2013). This means that the company is doing nothing but continuing the trend of dishonesty from the chemical days. In terms of branding the company is fine. The company as far as business is concerned should continue to test the different genetics that they change and get some serious fact checks going. The company should set aside money and publish the results of testing

Monsanto is a sustainable agricultural company that provides seeds, biotechnological traits products and herbicides for farmers. It is the largest developer of genetically modified crops, dominating the soybeans and corn market in the United States. It holds about 80% of U.S. corn and more than 90% of U.S. soybeans shares of the market. These seeds contains Monsanto’s patented seed traits. In the 2014 fiscal year, the company racked up $15.9 billion in net sales, up from $14.9 billion in 2013 (“Monsanto Co.”). They operate through two main business segments: seeds and genomics, and agriculture productivity (Miller). They operate within 66 countries with 26,200 employers. 68% of Monsanto sales came from Seeds and Genomics segment, and the Agriculture Productivity segment accounts for the other 32%.