The Supreme Court ruled unanimously today in favor of Monsanto in the Monsanto v. Bowman case. The case was focused on the protection of intellectual property and Monsanto's Roundup Ready technology in soybeans. The court found that Indiana farmer, Vernon Hugh Bowman, had violated patent law.

Bowman purchased seed from a grain elevator which contained a mixture of seeds, some of which had Monsanto's Roundup Ready technology. Bowman planted the soybean seed which he sprayed with Roundup and later replanted the seed from that crop.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit favored Monsanto in its suit against Bowman, citing that Bowman had infringed Monsanto’s patents.

In a press release from Monsanto, the company said:

"The Supreme Court's decision affirms the basic purpose of the U.S. patent system – providing an incentive to innovate by providing inventors a meaningful opportunity to recover costs on their R&D investments. The decision also reflects the Court's sensitivity to the importance of patent protection not only for agriculture companies such as Monsanto, but for the basic incentive structure the patent system provides for innovation."

Read the full press release from Monsanto here.

You can read the Supreme Court's 12-page decision here.