Monsanto

[Brian Carlton]

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/MonsantovsFarmers.php

Either you buy GM seed from Monsanto, or they haul your ass into court and prove that you've got a few seeds that they have a patent on.

And, they blackball you with all the seed suppliers...............

Either you play by their game...........or you're bankrupt due to the legal fees.


Still believe that capitalism and free markets rule the day? Here's a "free" market............Monsanto runs it.

Sounds like an anti-trust issue.

[Kuan]

The way patent laws are written, if their seed gets into your heirloom supply you owe them.

[Ara T.]

You can literally read for days on all the Monsanto BS. Especially their actions in India.

[MTI]

Monsanto owns the patent, so what's the issue again? Ag industry folks that don't want RoundUp or drought resistant corn can make their own choice and Monsanto is duty bound to protect their patents.

[Emmerich]

Anybody heard of Microsoft?

[Skid Row Joe]

I'm down with capitalism - all the way. The bigger the better, more the merrier I say. Poverty sucks.

[Ara T.]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

I'm down with capitalism - all the way. The bigger the better, more the merrier I say. Poverty sucks.

Rigged market capitalism or free market capitalism? There's a difference.

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by MTI

Monsanto owns the patent, so what's the issue again? Ag industry folks that don't want RoundUp or drought resistant corn can make their own choice and Monsanto is duty bound to protect their patents.

The issue is the capability of Monsanto to, effectively, put any farmer out of business who chooses not to purchase their GM seeds.

The size of the corporation allows them to kill any given farmer with legal expenses, whether their case has merit, or not.

Furthermore, the corporation has the capability to enter any farm and spend any amount of time necessary to determine if the farmer has even a single GM seed or plant on the premises.............which may be simply a random event caused by wind from nearby farms. In such a case, the farmer is guilty as charged and needs to pay a huge royalty fee.

Sorry, this isn't right.

[raymr]

Whats the difference? If they are operating in a free economy, that means they are also free to rig markets within the law. Then when it goes out of control the gov has to step in with some new rules. The latest financial meltdown is a result of businesses doing their thing in a free economy.

There will always be winners and losers, but it sucks when the winners are large corporations and the losers are just regular real people.

[raymr]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

The issue is the capability of Monsanto to, effectively, put any farmer out of business who chooses not to purchase their GM seeds.

The size of the corporation allows them to kill any given farmer with legal expenses, whether their case has merit, or not.

Furthermore, the corporation has the capability to enter any farm and spend any amount of time necessary to determine if the farmer has even a single GM seed or plant on the premises.............which may be simply a random event caused by wind from nearby farms. In such a case, the farmer is guilty as charged and needs to pay a huge royalty fee.

Sorry, this isn't right.

Are they really going after mom and pop farms or big agribusiness?

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by raymr

Are they really going after mom and pop farms or big agribusiness?

Best as I can tell, most of the farms are relatively small. The target one fellow and bankrupt him as a warning to others in the area. They all cave in quickly and buy the GM seeds............

A big agribusiness would have the wherewithal to defend themselves, something the average little guy cannot do against Monsanto. Monsanto even has the temerity to send them a letter threatening to drag them out for years in court if they don't pay the royalty.

When a very large corporation can dictate the behavior of smaller corporations, the law notwithstanding, it's time for some anti-trust intervention.

[tonkovich]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

I'm down with capitalism - all the way. The bigger the better, more the merrier I say. Poverty sucks.

gee, thanks for adding so much to the discussion. sans the above, we would all be truly doomed.

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by Craig

Sounds like an anti-trust issue.

Sounds like a bitter divorce too, where a stubborn side can try
to have its lawyers "Motion" the adverse party to death.

No matter what the lawyers ALWAYS get paid.

Always.

Every single motion.

Every single time.

[raymr]

I don't see how Monsanto is able to tresspass onto private property and then spend however long they want there. Why wouldn't local law enforcement have them removed?