Monsanto’s GM cottonseed technology went on to dominate 90 per cent of India’s cotton acreage (Shutterstock)The Supreme Court has ruled that US seed-maker Monsanto can claim patent rights on its genetically modified cottonseeds in India. Monsanto’s battle over its patent rights on its GM cottonseeds has raged for just over three years after it terminated a 10-year sub-licence agreement with Indian seed company Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd. Nuziveedu later went on to challenge Monsanto’s right to a patent on the GM cotton seeds and argued that its rights were protected under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPVFR) Act, 2001. But since November 2015, Monsanto has been at loggerheads with Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd over the patent. The bone of contention was over certain processes and product patent rights that Monsanto asserted and which Nuziveedu Seeds challenged.

Source: The Telegraph January 08, 2019 22:18 UTC