There are two ways that Monsanto can sustain their business. One is technological and the other relies on the courts. Monsanto is called evil, either way, often

There are two ways that Monsanto can sustain their business. One is technological and the other relies on the courts. Monsanto is called evil, either way, often by people who just get some vague icky feeling about GMOs, even if they understand very little about the business or the technology. This suggests a third way out: they could change their name. For a growing number of people, the name "Monsanto" may as well be "Diablo". For better or worse, labels are abstractions for humans to comprehend the world, and they often influence our thinking in ways we don't perceive and can't resist. Just look at how destructive labels have been throughout history. So if your name means evil, then changing it may be a way out. This isn't as unrealistic as it sounds. The only reason I'd thought badly of Monsanto was due to the tales of (sometimes exaggerated) horror from the people around me. But if Monsanto does their rebranding with some finesse, and completely abandons their old name, then it wouldn't be as easy for the general public to merely lead each horror story with, "So here's what that company, formerly Monsanto, used to do..." In fact, they'd likely have to qualify the horror story with "used to do" (as opposed to "currently acts this way") since a new label would force most people to think of them as a new company, whether or not they realize it. "New label = new thing" is practically hardwired into our brain, and the effects reveal themselves when we communicate.