Monsanto: Patenting Death | Common Dreams

Monsanto: Patenting Death | Common Dreams
"Monsanto has yet another case pending in the court system, this time before the U.S. Supreme Court on the exclusivity of its genetically modified seed patents. Narrowly at issue is whether Monsanto retains patent rights on soybeans that have been replanted after showing up in generic stocks rather than being sold specifically as seeds, or whether those patent rights are “exhausted” after the initial planting. But more broadly the case also raises implications regarding control of the food supply"

Monsanto Recieves Warm Reception in High Court | Common Dreams

Monsanto Recieves Warm Reception in High Court | Common Dreams
"Observations from Tuesday's Supreme Court hearing between the Monsanto corporation and Indiana soybean farmer Hugh Bowman, indicate that the sympathy of the nine justices leaned heavily towards the agro-chemical giant while heaping skepticism on the arguments made on behalf of the small farmer."

Monsanto vs. The People | Common Dreams

Monsanto vs. The People | Common Dreams
"Exploiting their patent on transgenic corn, soybean and cotton, Monsanto asserts an insidious control of those agricultural industries in the US, effectively squeezing out conventional farmers (those using non-transgenic seeds) and eliminating their capacity to viably participate and compete on the market. (Until the end of 2012, Monsanto was under investigation by the Department of Justice for violating anti-trust laws by practicing anticompetitive activities towards other biotech companies, but that investigation was quietly closed before the year's end.)"

Farmers Told To Buy Insurance If They Don’t Want To Get Sued By Corporations

Farmers Told To Buy Insurance If They Don’t Want To Get Sued By Corporations: Every year for the past 13 years, biotechnology giant Monsanto Company has sued about 11 farmers per year for patent infringement of their genetically modified corn and soybean seeds. Many of these farmers have had to pay a settlement to the corporation even when their fields were accidentally contaminated with GM seeds from a neighboring [...]/p

How Mitt Romney and Bain Helped Grow Monsanto Into a Biotech Giant | Alternet

How Mitt Romney and Bain Helped Grow Monsanto Into a Biotech Giant | Alternet
"The romance between Romney and Monsanto began back in 1977, when the recently minted Harvard Law and Business School graduate joined Bain, the Boston-based consulting firm launched in 1973, the same year Monsanto became one of its first clients. One of Bain’s founding partners, Ralph Willard, described to theBoston Globe  in 2007 how “Romney learned the technical aspects of the chemical business so thoroughly that he sounded as if he had gone to engineering school instead of business school,” and that Monsanto executives soon began “bypassing” him to go directly to Romney.This history matters not just because of the light it sheds on Romney’s self-ballyhooed business experience but because of the litany of Monsanto corporate objectives that clash with planetary concerns. If Romney is elected, this bête noire of environmentalists will have a very old friend in a very high place."

Romney And Bain Boosted Agriculture Giant Monsanto In Spite Of Toxic Past

Romney And Bain Boosted Agriculture Giant Monsanto In Spite Of Toxic Past: Biotechnology firm Monsanto Company, which currently owns most of the patents for America’s staple crops, is already cozy with American lawmakers. A new Nation report, however, indicates that “a very old friend in a very high place” may usher in the corporation’s most prosperous years yet. The Nation’s investigative report has uncovered how Mitt Romney [...]/p

Monsanto, DuPont Spend Millions to Defeat California Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Initiative

Monsanto, DuPont Spend Millions to Defeat California Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Initiative
"With biotech giant Monsanto leading the way, big agribusiness firms and food manufacturers have vastly outspent organic food and alternative health firms in an effort to defeat California's Proposition 37 ballot initiative that would require special labels on foods made with genetically engineered (GE) organisms."