4 ms·
That seems utterly irrelevant. Trying to benefit is irrelevant. Trying to steal is what is relevant. Consider the case where the gene edited crops actually imp
by spywaregorilla 4y ago
That seems utterly irrelevant. Trying to benefit is irrelevant. Trying to steal is what is relevant.
Consider the case where the gene edited crops actually implemented a dependency on roundup, and the neighboring farms were forced to use round up rather than did so because it was simply more useful.
- tptacek 4y agoNo such dependency exists. The only rational reason to spray a crop with RoundUp is that you know you've sowed RoundUp Ready seeds; in any other circumstance you'd simply be killing your crop off. If you contrive a counterfactual where that's not the case, then obviously different fact patterns matter. It's like saying "well, sure, he shot the guy, but consider an alternate universe where shooting someone with a gun doesn't hurt them but instead immediately brings them to their recommended daily allowance of thiamine". The claim that Monsanto sues people for accidentally or unwillingly having their patented seeds sown is simply false, full stop.
- JamisonM 4y agoFarmer here, the above is absolutely correct. The notion that a farmer would "take a chance" on spraying an non-GMO planted crop with Roundup/Liberty is a pure fiction.
- spywaregorilla 4y agoThat is still irrelevant. You should not be able to sue someone for having your stuff. You should be able to sue them for stealing it. In this case it was not stolen. It was planted and spread naturally. And then the farmers chose to keep using the things that things that had basically fallen into their laps.
- tptacek 4y agoI really don't care if you think all patents are bogus. That is the most boring conceivable debate to have. There is nothing special about seeds to change the argument; that's all I'm here to say.
- fragmede 4y agoWhat's special about seeds is they reproduce with a bit of water, soil, and sunlight. My laptop does not and in fact will be very sad if I water it. Thus no matter how many patents Intel has on the things inside my laptop, there's a limit on how much I can ultimately do with the physical device.
- tptacek 4y agoNothing you can do with water, soil, and sunlight is going to produce RoundUp --- or a RoundUp-Ready seed. It's perfectly reasonable to oppose all patents. Just don't pretend the wind, sun, and dirt somehow invalidate seed patents. There's no distinction to draw.
- bob29 4y agoPeople have been sued for growing patented potatoes, unrelated to round up . . . Ok? U take tuber u put it in ground it grows more tubers u try to sell BOOM illegal son .
- tptacek 4y agoUh huh.
- bob29 4y ago[Square bracket number citation link thingy https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-pepsi-farmers/pepsico-sues-four-indian-farmers-for-using-its-patented-lays-potatoes-idUSKCN1S21EL https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-pepsi-farmers/pepsi...] 0
- bob29 4y agoHe doesn’t respond so I win by default . Righteous troll:1 Capitalist corporation defender: 0
- 4y ago