The Supreme Court ruled this week that farmers must pay Monsanto each time they plant the company’s patented genetically modified soybeans. Farmers are contractually required not to save and replant herbicide-resistant Roundup Ready seeds from previous crops. Indiana farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman had bypassed this rule by buying a mix of beans, spraying them with herbicide so that only the Roundup Ready versions survived, and then replanting them. The justices agreed with Monsanto that Bowman’s actions undermined the company’s patent. The ruling could have implications for other self-replicating products, like vaccines, cell lines, and software.
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