On: How can I tell if a plant given to me is patented?

[charonn0]

A number of commercially farmed crops are grown using genetically modified seeds. The farmers license the seeds from the company that holds the patents to the various gene modifications (principally Monsanto.) These licenses tend to obligate the farmer to not use the seeds produced by their crops, but rather to buy a whole new bag of seeds each year.

I doubt they'd go after a private gardener, but they could.

Further reading:

http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/Why-Does-Monsanto-Pa...

>"The first time growers purchase Monsanto seed, they sign a stewardship agreement and contract agreeing not to save and replant seeds produced from the crops they grow from Monsanto seed."

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Even further reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto#Legal_actions_and_con...

http://rense.com/general38/saver.htm

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/02/scotus-hears-...

[mbetter → charonn0]

If their crops are producing unlicensed copies of themselves, shouldn't Monsanto be suing the crops?