the undiluted patent monopoly , it might occur outside the purchaser ’s control .
washington — the supreme court ruled unanimously on monday that farmers could not use monsanto ’s patented genetically altered soybeans to create new seeds without paying the company a fee .
for that second crop , he bought seeds from a grain elevator filled with a mix of seeds in the indiana farmer 's effort to replicate soybeans that are resistant to weed killer is determined to be a patent infringement .
the court ruled unanimously that an indiana farmer 's argument ruling does not settle all future cases involving self - replicating products washington -- the supreme court usually is n't friendly toward questionable patents , but it came down overwhelmingly on the side of agribusiness giant monsanto monday in a case that 's bound to resonate throughout the biotechnology industry .
the seeds are valuable because they are resistant to the herbicide roundup , itself a monsanto product .
” but justice kagan had little difficulty ruling that an indiana farmer ’s conduct in the case before the court , bowman v. monsanto company , no .
if simple copying were a protected use , a patent would plummet in value after the first sale of the first item containing the invention , " justice elena kagan ruled in a short 10 - page opinion . "
but justice elena kagan , writing for the court , emphasized that the decision was narrow .
who it helps : inventors and entrepreneurs who have patents on products that can be self - replicated , from computer software to cell lines .