DuPont sues Monsanto over patent infringement; Monsanto says claims baseless

摘要

DuPont and Monsanto, the world's biggest seeds groups and archrivals, returned to trading slurs when DuPont accused Monsanto of breaking patents, only to be accused of "frivolous claims".DuPont's Pioneer seed unit claimed that Monsanto infringed on patents that help genetically modified corn seeds germinate. The suit is the latest volley in a bitter fight between the duo for dominance in the lucrative US corn seed industry.In its lawsuit, filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Pioneer claims that it owns patents on a method "of enhancing the vigour of corn seeds" by defoliating the plant at a particular point after pollination but before harvest, and on a corn seed and stand of corn seeds that have such enhanced vigour.