Monsanto can hold plant patent: Supreme Court

CHIMO

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Fri May-21-04 09:17 AM
Original message

Monsanto can hold plant patent: Supreme Court

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada ruled against a Saskatchewan farmer Friday, saying biotechnology giant Monsanto can hold a patent on its genetically-modified plant.

Schmeiser argued the canola seed blew onto his property without his knowledge from a nearby farmer's truck. He has said he tried to kill the plant with a herbicide, and that the plant "polluted" his fields.

The Supreme Court of Canada has already ruled against patenting a higher life form in the case of the Harvard mouse. The court ruled the mouse was a higher life form and could not be patented.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/05/21/canada/schmeiser_monsanto040521

Well looks like it's goodbye to natural seeds and plants.

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LeftHander

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Fri May-21-04 09:18 AM
Response to Original message

1. Sad day for farming...

More corporate greed and power.

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el_gato

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Fri May-21-04 09:56 AM
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2. insane

this is just crazy.

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Commie Pinko Dirtbag

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Fri May-21-04 10:09 AM
Response to Reply #2

5. BEYOND insane!

What next, someone can throw his wallet in my general direction and then have me arrested for theft??? :argh:

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MisterP

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Fri May-21-04 09:58 AM
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3. Monsanto: "Bringing the Colour Out of Space to your dinner table!"

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NuttyFluffers

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Fri May-21-04 04:06 PM
Response to Reply #3

11. *Snort - Cack - Choke*

Mwa hahahahaha, that almost killed me, almost choked to death. So funny, such an applicable Lovecraftian reference.

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central scrutinizer

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Fri May-21-04 10:05 AM
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4. here's Schmeiser's side

http://www.percyschmeiser.com/

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arikara

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Fri May-21-04 12:18 PM
Response to Original message

6. Heartbreaking... I think they must have been bought out.

Canadian supremes are no different than those in the US. The judges knew that their decision was wrong...

In what Schmeiser called a "personal victory," the Supreme Court ruled he does not have to pay roughly $200,000 in court costs and damages to Monsanto.

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RaulGroom

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Fri May-21-04 12:51 PM
Response to Reply #6

7. It's not a buyout

Our Supreme court ALWAYS sides with corporations over citizens. It's been true since the Burger court, and will likely be true until I'm in the ground. Get used to it.

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arikara

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Fri May-21-04 03:16 PM
Response to Reply #7

8. I won't ever get used to it

Or stop believing that it can be changed. Otherwise what is the point?

:)

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Shakespeare

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Fri May-21-04 03:21 PM
Response to Original message

9. Horrible precedent--they've just ruled against a millennia-old tradition.

Now farmers can't save seed to plant the next year's crop--this is really, really awful.

This is one of the more disgraceful court opinions I've EVER seen.

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reprobate

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Fri May-21-04 03:35 PM
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10. Corporate goniffs have the power now. But one day the worm will turn

There will be one court decision for the corporations too many and the people will no longer take it. Gore Vidal said he sees the people taking to the streets. I don't think he meant with protest signs.

And all this is based on "corporate personhood" which was never decided by the courts. It was written in the case notes of Santa Clara County v Souther Pacific by the clerk, who just happened to have worked for Southern Pacific. And this was before the turn of the LAST century.

It seems to me that the whole of the capitalist economic and legal system is based on lies. Doesn't seem like it can last too much longer like this.

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