GMOs are somewhat tangential to the issue of plant patents. Genetic engineering can be, and has been[1], used to create patent-free plants. On the flip side,

GMOs are somewhat tangential to the issue of plant patents. Genetic engineering can be, and has been[1], used to create patent-free plants. On the flip side, genetic engineering is not necessary to create patentable plants, and in fact plant patents predate commercial genetic engineering by decades. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_rice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_rice