SCOTUS Upholds Monsanto Biotech Seed Patents | Fox Business

SCOTUS Upholds Monsanto Biotech Seed Patents | Fox Business:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld Monsanto Co's biotech seed patents, dealing a blow to a group attempting to ward off lawsuits by the company against farmers.

The group, made up of 73 organic and conventional family farmers, seed companies and public advocacy interests, sued Monsanto in March 2011 seeking to prohibit the company from suing them if their fields became inadvertently contaminated with its patented genetic traits for corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and other crops.

The specialty seeds are genetically engineered to withstand dousings of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide.