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Glyphosate resistant genetically engineered corn is patented and only available from the inventor (Monsanto, now owned by Bayer) of glyphosate (Round Up) herbic

Glyphosate resistant genetically engineered corn is patented and only available from the inventor (Monsanto, now owned by Bayer) of glyphosate (Round Up) herbicide. Spraying a field of glyphosate resistant GE corn with glyphosate kills the weeds and leaves the corn which improves yield since weeds use nutrients and moisture. To put it mildly, Monsanto has been very aggressive at enforcing their patents.

bpodgursky 5y ago
This is dated. The patents on the original roundup-ready corn expired six years ago: https://www.technologyreview.com/2015/07/30/166919/as-patents-expire-farmers-plant-generic-gmos/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2015/07/30/166919/as-patent... Farmers can plant roundup-ready corn without paying any royalties to Monsanto, and keep + redistribute the seeds as they wish.
- dev_tty01 5y ago
  Thanks for the correction and update. I had not followed it closely in a while.
- surfingdino 5y ago
  Which is why in Europe they have created a system for protection of rights to modified plants outside of the realm of patents and copyright definitions. See https://cpvo.europa.eu/en https://cpvo.europa.eu/en
  - sampo 5y ago
    CPVO is just an EU agency coordinating plant breeder's rights at the EU level. But plant breeder's rights are nothing new. The way you describe CPVO as something new and sinister, is quite dishonest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeders%27_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeders%27_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Plant_Variety_Office https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Plant_Variety_Office
542458 5y ago
In addition to what the sibling comment says about the patents expiring, that’s also not really lock in. You can switch to another vendor anytime - just because you used RR product once doesn’t mean you have to use it forever.
gruez 5y ago
> Spraying a field of glyphosate resistant GE corn with glyphosate kills the weeds and leaves the corn which improves yield since weeds use nutrients and moisture. So the vendor lock-in is that... it's a better product? If that's what your idea of "vendor lock-in" is I can totally get behind that.
- amanaplanacanal 5y ago
  The vendor lock-in is that you can’t replant the seeds next year, you have to buy new seeds from the vendor. Frankly, I don’t know how common this is with corn, or are the farmers all buying hybrid seeds each year anyway.
  - 542458 5y ago
    I don’t know of any non-hobby farms that keep seeds. Saving seeds on mass scale is difficult, and requires specialist equipment. Many commercial seeds are pre-treating with fungicides and/or starter fertilizer as well, which is often worth paying the premium for. As you mentioned, some non-GMO plants (hybrids - common with corn, wheat, cotton) don’t produce good seed anyways.
partiallypro 5y ago
This is what everyone was complaining about over a decade ago, it's no longer true...and has actually rarely ever been true. There have only been a few cases which of course people (people that wrongly think GMOs are dangerous despite every study saying it's not) grappled onto. Unfortunately people's ignorance/stupidity on GMOs has infamously cost lives due to nutritional problems (but of course not in the West where these lies originated.)
- boudin 5y ago
  Nice usual GMO propanganda, but no. Look at the social impact of GMOs in India (suicide), the environmental impact overall which is quite negative. GMOs itself might be safe for consumption, but the amount of pesticide required for those stupid roundup ready crops is definitely not. World nutrition? Nature already provides all the elements for it, GMOs won't solve wealth distribution problems. Edit: there's some infornation here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food_controversies https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food_co...

bpodgursky 5y ago

This is dated. The patents on the original roundup-ready corn expired six years ago: https://www.technologyreview.com/2015/07/30/166919/as-patents-expire-farmers-plant-generic-gmos/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2015/07/30/166919/as-patent... Farmers can plant roundup-ready corn without paying any royalties to Monsanto, and keep + redistribute the seeds as they wish.

dev_tty01 5y ago
Thanks for the correction and update. I had not followed it closely in a while.
surfingdino 5y ago
Which is why in Europe they have created a system for protection of rights to modified plants outside of the realm of patents and copyright definitions. See https://cpvo.europa.eu/en https://cpvo.europa.eu/en
- sampo 5y ago
  CPVO is just an EU agency coordinating plant breeder's rights at the EU level. But plant breeder's rights are nothing new. The way you describe CPVO as something new and sinister, is quite dishonest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeders%27_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeders%27_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Plant_Variety_Office https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Plant_Variety_Office

542458 5y ago

In addition to what the sibling comment says about the patents expiring, that’s also not really lock in. You can switch to another vendor anytime - just because you used RR product once doesn’t mean you have to use it forever.

gruez 5y ago

> Spraying a field of glyphosate resistant GE corn with glyphosate kills the weeds and leaves the corn which improves yield since weeds use nutrients and moisture. So the vendor lock-in is that... it's a better product? If that's what your idea of "vendor lock-in" is I can totally get behind that.

amanaplanacanal 5y ago
The vendor lock-in is that you can’t replant the seeds next year, you have to buy new seeds from the vendor. Frankly, I don’t know how common this is with corn, or are the farmers all buying hybrid seeds each year anyway.
- 542458 5y ago
  I don’t know of any non-hobby farms that keep seeds. Saving seeds on mass scale is difficult, and requires specialist equipment. Many commercial seeds are pre-treating with fungicides and/or starter fertilizer as well, which is often worth paying the premium for. As you mentioned, some non-GMO plants (hybrids - common with corn, wheat, cotton) don’t produce good seed anyways.

partiallypro 5y ago

This is what everyone was complaining about over a decade ago, it's no longer true...and has actually rarely ever been true. There have only been a few cases which of course people (people that wrongly think GMOs are dangerous despite every study saying it's not) grappled onto. Unfortunately people's ignorance/stupidity on GMOs has infamously cost lives due to nutritional problems (but of course not in the West where these lies originated.)

boudin 5y ago
Nice usual GMO propanganda, but no. Look at the social impact of GMOs in India (suicide), the environmental impact overall which is quite negative. GMOs itself might be safe for consumption, but the amount of pesticide required for those stupid roundup ready crops is definitely not. World nutrition? Nature already provides all the elements for it, GMOs won't solve wealth distribution problems. Edit: there's some infornation here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food_controversies https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food_co...