St. Louis, Missouri
May 5, 2009
DuPont relying on Monsanto's
proven technology in attempt to repair Optimum® GAT® problems
Monsanto Company announced that it filed suit yesterday in
federal court in St. Louis against
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and
Company and its wholly owned subsidiary,
Pioneer Hi-Bred International,
Inc., to prevent unlawful use of Monsanto's proprietary
Roundup Ready® herbicide tolerant technologies in soybeans and
corn.
"As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery," said Hugh Grant, Monsanto Chief Executive Officer.
"However, unlawfully taking technology is neither imitation nor
flattery; it is unethical and wrong. A true technology company
respects patents and its contractual agreements and delivers new
products through its own innovation and honest collaboration.
DuPont has failed on all counts."
Pioneer, like hundreds of other seed companies, has the right to
sell soybeans and corn with the Roundup Ready trait. For several
years, Pioneer publicly touted plans to replace Monsanto's
Roundup Ready trait with DuPont's claimed glyphosate tolerant
Optimum® GAT® trait. However, Pioneer has recently admitted that
the Optimum GAT trait when used alone presents unacceptable
risks to farmers.
In an effort to repair these deficiencies, Pioneer is misusing
the Roundup Ready trait to mask problems with their Optimum GAT
trait. This violates Monsanto's contract rights and U.S.
patents. This suit insists that DuPont honor their agreements
and respect patented technologies.
This is not the first time that Monsanto has had to file
litigation against Pioneer for breaches of their contractual
obligations with Monsanto. In a previous case involving
Monsanto's YieldGard® Corn Borer trait, it was determined by the
Court that Pioneer had breached its license and improperly used
Monsanto's patented technology. After that case, in which
Monsanto prevailed, an agreement was reached in which Pioneer
was able to continue licensed use of Monsanto's technology. As
in this previous case, Monsanto is confident once again that it
will prevail.
True inventions will be critical to meeting future global food
demand. Experts now predict our planet will need to double
agricultural output by 2050 to feed a growing population.
Protecting inventions and respecting contracts are critical to
driving broad investment to meet this challenge. Monsanto's
investment in innovation is clear and consistent. It is
presently delivering to farmers two game-changing technologies
that will help achieve higher yields, in Genuity™ Roundup Ready
2 Yield™ in soybeans and SmartStax™ in corn.
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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