MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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http://planetark.org/wen/64807

A federal judge has ruled in favor of global seed giant Monsanto Co, dismissing a lawsuit brought by a consortium of U.S. organic farmers and seed dealers who said their industry is at risk from Monsanto's growing market strength.

U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald, for the Southern District of New York, threw out the case brought by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and dozens of other plaintiff growers and organizations, criticizing the groups for a "transparent effort to create a controversy where none exists."

The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed the suit last March on behalf of more than 50 organizations challenging the agricultural giant's patents on its genetically modified seeds. The group wanted a ruling that would prohibit Monsanto from suing the farmers or dealers if their organic seed becomes contaminated with Monsanto's patented biotech seed germplasm.

But Judge Buchwald said Monsanto had not sued or even started the process of suing anyone of the plaintiffs or anyone in "similar stead."

"We're disappointed. We think the judge erred in her ruling," said Jim Gerritsen, spokesman for the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association.

Daniel Ravicher, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said farmers stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto and the court's refusal to protect those farmers was a mistake.

"Her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world's foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing," said Ravicher. "Her belief that farmers are acting unreasonable when they stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement should their crops become contaminated maligns the intelligence and integrity of those farmers."

Monsanto is the world's largest seed company and a leader is development and marketing of genetically altered soybeans, corn and other crops. The company has developed a reputation for zealously defending its patents on its genetically altered crops, which include patented "Roundup Ready" soybeans, corn and cotton. The crops are favorites of U.S. farmers because of their ability to withstand herbicide treatments.

Monsanto has filed 144 patent infringement lawsuits against farmers between 1997 and April 2010, and won judgments against farmers they claimed made use of their seed without paying required royalties.

Many U.S. farmers have claimed that their fields were inadvertently contaminated with Monsanto's biotech seeds without their knowledge, and the issue has been a topic of concern for not only farmers, but also companies that clean and handle seed.

But the court ruling said there was no likelihood that Monsanto would pursue patent infringement cases against the organic farmers, who have no interest in using the company's patented seed products.

"This decision is a win for all farmers as it underscores that agricultural practices such as ag biotechnology, organic and conventional systems do and will continue to effectively coexist in the agricultural marketplace," said Monsanto general counsel David Snively.

"This ruling tore down a historic myth, which is commonly perpetuated against our business by these plaintiffs and other parties through the internet, noting that not only were such claims unsubstantiated but, more importantly, they were unjustified."

Monsanto has said that it is committed to never suing farmers over the inadvertent presence of biotechnology traits in their fields.

Judge Buchwald said in her ruling that Monsanto's promise should be a source of comfort.

"Even were there credible threats of suit from defendants, there is no evidence that plaintiffs are infringing defendants' patents, nor have plaintiffs suggested when, if ever, such infringement will occur," she wrote in her ruling.
The case is Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al. v. Monsanto Company et al., No. 1:11-cv-2163-NRB.
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TerryB
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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How does Monsanto know whether a farmer is using Monsanto's patented seed without paying for it?
"Know that! & Know it deep you fucking loser!"

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Monsanto does a couple good things.
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

W.B. Yeats

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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protobuilder wrote:How does Monsanto know whether a farmer is using Monsanto's patented seed without paying for it?
How does a farmer now whether Monsanto is intentionally contaminating his seed with the intention of litigation?
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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protobuilder wrote:How does Monsanto know whether a farmer is using Monsanto's patented seed without paying for it?

They can take a sample from the crop and compare it in the lab and know right there.

Fucking evil as seed contamination is just a fact of agriculture.

Going to be killing more deer in the future and we will be tilling a spot in the back yard for a garden. I want commercial food down to a low amount for my family for health and ethical reasons.




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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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protobuilder wrote:How does Monsanto know whether a farmer is using Monsanto's patented seed without paying for it?
Apparently along with nonbinding assurances to foreclose future litigation, a judge will take Big M's word for it.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Monsanto is being sued for something they haven't done, and you guys are pissed? You should be pissed at the attorneys for the organic farmers that charged them for taking such a bullshit case to court.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Turdacious wrote:Monsanto is being sued for something they haven't done, and you guys are pissed? You should be pissed at the attorneys for the organic farmers that charged them for taking such a bullshit case to court.
I'm pissed at Monsanto becuase they are evil.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Blaidd Drwg wrote:
Turdacious wrote:Monsanto is being sued for something they haven't done, and you guys are pissed? You should be pissed at the attorneys for the organic farmers that charged them for taking such a bullshit case to court.
I'm pissed at Monsanto becuase they are evil.
OOOOOOOk
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Turdacious wrote:Monsanto is being sued for something they haven't done, and you guys are pissed? You should be pissed at the attorneys for the organic farmers that charged them for taking such a bullshit case to court.
That's not even slightly true. Monsanto has created a product that contaminates food seed in an uncontrolled manner, thereby exposing independent business to liabilities they would not otherwise suffer.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

Post by Jonny Canuck »

while we are on the topic of food and farming....

available on Netflix


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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Fat Cat wrote:
Turdacious wrote:Monsanto is being sued for something they haven't done, and you guys are pissed? You should be pissed at the attorneys for the organic farmers that charged them for taking such a bullshit case to court.
That's not even slightly true. Monsanto has created a product that contaminates food seed in an uncontrolled manner, thereby exposing independent business to liabilities they would not otherwise suffer.
Potential liabilities, not liabilities. Not a lawyer, but AFAIK you have to show you've been harmed to have a valid case.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Contaminating another business' products is not a potential liability, it's a real one. Imagine I am an organic farmer that sells products to yuppie New Yorkers with "non-GMO" labels. My product becomes contaminated by Monsanto's hellish creations. Now I've lost my market. That's not "potential" that's real dollars lost.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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In 1997, Monsanto's genetically modified “Roundup Ready Canola” plants were found in Percy Schmeiser's field. In spring 1998, before Schmeiser planted his 1998 crop, he was informed that Monsanto believed that he had grown Roundup Ready canola in 1997. In the summer of 1998 the canola in Schmeiser's fields was found to be Roundup Ready canola. After this, Monsanto sued Schmeiser for patent infringement.

For the next several years, the case travelled through the Canadian court system. Meanwhile, Schmeiser became an international symbol and spokesperson for the movement against the genetic engineering of food. He accepted speaking engagements, and received donations for his defense fund, from around the world. Ultimately, a Supreme Court 5-4 ruling found in favor of Monsanto of their patent being valid and if there was infringement.

The publicity around the case focused on whether Monsanto would be held responsible for “genetic engineering crop contamination”. This issue was, in explicit fact, not considered by the courts. The patent infringement finding was based solely on the determination that Schmeiser had recognized the cross-contamination, and knowingly went on to collect the crossbred seed, then replant and harvest it the next year. No punitive damages or the costs of the technology use fee were awarded to Monsanto, as the Supreme Court also ruled 9-0 in Schmeiser's favor that his profits were exactly the same with or without the presence of the Roundup Ready Canola.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Schmeiser

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Fat Cat wrote:Contaminating another business' products is not a potential liability, it's a real one. Imagine I am an organic farmer that sells products to yuppie New Yorkers with "non-GMO" labels. My product becomes contaminated by Monsanto's hellish creations. Now I've lost my market. That's not "potential" that's real dollars lost.
It is real dollars lost after it happens-- if it happens.

There's plenty of reasons to dislike Monsanto, but this is pretty weak.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Evil must be confronted at every step.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Fat Cat wrote:Evil must be confronted at every step.
Fatty is being uncharacteristically reticent about where he's headed, so I'll connect the dots for you.

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Please stop your hateful defamation of the one, true, catholic, and apostolic Church. Your hate for Jesus Christ will only injure your self.

BTW, Brother Nathanael Kapner was raised as a Jew. He attended Sabbath School from the 1st to the 10th Grade from 1956-1966. At the age of 13 he was Bar Mitzvahed. In 1971, at the age of 21 he embraced Jesus Christ as the Messiah and is now an Orthodox Christian since 1988. He has spent nine years in the Greek Orthodox monastery of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery at Brookline, Massachusetts.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Fatty,

Fess up. Is it pure coincidence that your and Kraj's slavophilia and jewphobia mirror Brother Nathanael's? Please tell me neither of you are his Irongarm sockpuppet.

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Fat Cat wrote:Evil must be confronted at every step.
Not the imaginary ones.
"Liberalism is arbitrarily selective in its choice of whose dignity to champion." Adrian Vermeule

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Hebrew Hammer wrote:Fatty,

Fess up. Is it pure coincidence that your and Kraj's slavophilia and jewphobia mirror Brother Nathanael's? Please tell me neither of you are his Irongarm sockpuppet.

I have no idea who Kraj is, where he lives, or anything so I can't speak for him. As for myself, I am exactly who I say I am. Also, as I noted above Brother Nathanael is Jewish. So you're simultaneously being anti-Christ and antisemitic.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Turdacious wrote:
Not the imaginary ones.
Are we talking about gawd now?

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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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Fat Cat wrote:
Hebrew Hammer wrote:Fatty,

Fess up. Is it pure coincidence that your and Kraj's slavophilia and jewphobia mirror Brother Nathanael's? Please tell me neither of you are his Irongarm sockpuppet.

I have no idea who Kraj is, where he lives, or anything so I can't speak for him. As for myself, I am exactly who I say I am. Also, as I noted above Brother Nathanael is Jewish. So you're simultaneously being anti-Christ and antisemitic.
I knew it. Kraj is Brother Nathanael's sockpuppet. Good on you for not ratting him out.
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

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You seem to be skirting the issue of the evil of genetic modification of food crops and Monsanto, Peter. Also, why are you named after a Christian saint? Isn't that kind of self-hating?
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Re: MONSANTO: Evil, Inc.

Post by Holland Oates »

Didn't the Hebe work for Monsanto.

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