St. Louis, Missouri
June 16, 2009
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) today described DuPont's
response to Monsanto's patent infringement lawsuit filed last
month as a smokescreen for DuPont's failed Optimum® GAT®
product. Monsanto sued DuPont on May 4 for unauthorized use of
the Roundup Ready herbicide tolerant product.
After years of touting Optimum® GAT® as a stand-alone, effective
competitor of Roundup Ready, DuPont admitted in January 2009
that farmers could not use Optimum® GAT® alone because it
presented an "unacceptable risk" to growers, and needed
Monsanto's Roundup Ready to make it work.
"Rather than tell the truth about its failed product, DuPont
pirated Monsanto's technology," said Scott Partridge, Monsanto's
Deputy General Counsel. "This is the real issue in the case."
New innovative products are an important component of improving
agricultural productivity around the world. Many companies,
including all of Monsanto's largest competitors, are working to
develop agricultural biotechnology traits and high yielding
germplasm in which to deliver them.
"Monsanto competes with true innovation and provides new
solutions for the agronomic problems facing farmers," Partridge
said. "DuPont wants to compete by hurling false accusations and
using the innovations of others to cover up its own failed
technologies.
"DuPont's claim is baseless and a way of diverting attention
from the fact that it was forced to renege on its vision of a
new $200 million stand-alone competitor to Roundup Ready. DuPont
is trying to make up for its commercial and scientific failures
by misusing Monsanto technology, and the Court will now decide
on the issue."
For additional information on Monsanto's case and DuPont's
previous statements, please visit:
http://www.monsanto.com/dupontlawsuit/.
Monsanto Company is 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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