Would a Schmeiser win hurt plant breeding?
by Paul Beingessner Canadian farmer, writer (Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 — CropChoice guest commentary) — In the wake of Monsanto vs. Schmeiser, now being considered by the Supreme Court of Canada, fear has been expressed about the consequences a Schmeiser win might have for plant breeding in Canada. The Canadian Seed Trade Association, for example, has said that weakening patent protections would discourage seed companies from investing in or serving Canadian customers. It has also urged the government to adopt even more stringent plant protections than currently exist. The notion that tightening up rules around plant patents will cause research to wither and die needs some examining. It is based on two different but related ideas. The first is that companies would not spend research dollars in Canada because weakening patent laws would prevent them from getting sufficient returns for their work. Since the public plant breeding programs have been seriously under funded, the argument goe
