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DuPont, Monsanto Settle on Seed Technology Lawsuits

Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer seed chipping, seed processing lawsuits dismissed in St. Louis District Court

December 23, 2014

1 Min Read

Lawsuits brought by each Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer against the other have been dismissed in a St. Louis District court, the companies said Tuesday.

The litigation related to claims by Monsanto that DuPont had infringed certain Monsanto seed chipping patents and claims by DuPont that Monsanto had infringed certain DuPont patents related to seed processing, the companies said.

According to Monsanto President and CEO Brett Begemann and DuPont Pioneer President Paul Schickler, this agreement "enables the companies to concentrate their attention on developing new solutions for farmers."

Related: 10 Questions Consumers Ask About GMOs

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

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The two companies have previously cleared up other lawsuits against each other, the most recent in March, 2013, when Monsanto asked a St. Louis court to dismiss claims that DuPont infringed on its patents for Roundup Ready soybeans.

The two subsequently agreed to licensing agreements whereby DuPont Pioneer could offer Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans and Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Xtend glyphosate- and dicamba-tolerant soybeans.

Also as part of the March, 2013, agreement, DuPont Pioneer received regulatory data rights for the soybean and corn traits previously licensed from Monsanto, and Monsanto received access to certain DuPont Pioneer disease resistance and corn defoliation patents.

Tuesday's dismissal of the most recent lawsuits leaves no other pending litigation between the two companies.

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