Monsanto Trial Against DuPont Over Roundup-Ready Crops to Start
This article is for subscribers only.
DuPont Co.’s Pioneer seed unit said in 2005 it would make herbicide-tolerant soybeans and corn within five years to challenge the dominance of seeds with Monsanto Co.’s widely licensed Roundup Ready trait.
According to Monsanto, DuPont couldn’t live up to that pledge and added Monsanto’s technology to its experimental seeds, in violation of licensing agreements between the companies. The world’s largest seed company sued DuPont in 2009, accusing its biggest competitor of patent infringement and breaching the 2002 contracts. DuPont countersued. A jury trial is set to begin today in Monsanto’s hometown of St. Louis.