The Department of Justice has closed its two-year antitrust investigation of Monsanto’s planned activities with respect to Roundup Ready 1 modified soybeans after the 2014 expiration of its patent. The DOJ may have been concerned that Monsanto would demand that farmers destroy or return seed when existing licenses expire because the company now prevents farmers from saving seeds from year-to-year. The company’s assurances that it would not force growers to use a new patented variant or sue those who save seeds after the current patent expires apparently satisfied the antitrust enforcers.
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