Editing Seed saving (section)

=== United States ===
Originally the farmer's privilege to save seeds to grow subsequent crops was considered protected by the [[Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970]]. American farmers, it was thought, could sell seed up to the amount saved for replanting their own acreage.<ref>{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=btUdObukIDIC&pg=PA170
|title=Seeding Solutions
|author=The Crucible II Group
|year=2001
|publisher=IPGRI
|isbn=978-92-9043-499-3}}</ref>{{efn|The PVPA permits farmers to save seeds and grow crops from them without liability under the PVPA. However, if the seeds are also protected by a utility patent, that conduct becomes patent infringement. See ''[[Bowman v. Monsanto Co.]]''}}

That view came to an end in the latter part of the 20th century and early part of the 21st century, with changes in technology and law. First, in 1981 ''[[Diamond v. Chakrabarty]]'' established that companies may obtain patents for life-forms—originally genetically engineered unicellular bacteria.{{efn|The genetically engineered bacteria ate oil, as in oil spills.}} In 2002 ''[[J.E.M. Ag Supply v. Pioneer]]'' established that valid utility patents could be issued on sexually reproduced plants, such as seed crops (e.g., corn).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/display.html?terms=patent&url=/supct/html/99-1996.ZS.html | title=J. E. M. Ag Supply, Inc. V. Pioneer Hi-Bredinternational, Inc. (Syllabus) | access-date=2023-11-15 | archive-date=2023-11-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115145120/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/display.html?terms=patent&url=/supct/html/99-1996.ZS.html | url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|In that case J.E.M. was held liable because it resold purchased corn in violation of a "label license" forbidding resale or any use except planting a corn crop.}} In 2013 ''[[Bowman v. Monsanto Co.]]'' established that it was patent infringement for farmers to save crop seeds (soybeans in that case) and grow subsequent crops from them, if the seeds or plants were patented. Seed corporations are able to earn massive profits from this control over commercial seed supplies, and consequently further loss of control has been taken from US farmers over their farm production process.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mascarenhas|first1=Michael|last2=Busch|first2=Lawrence|date=2006-04-01|title=Seeds of Change: Intellectual Property Rights, Genetically Modified Soybeans and Seed Saving in the United States|journal=Sociologia Ruralis|language=en|volume=46|issue=2|pages=122–138|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9523.2006.00406.x|issn=1467-9523}}</ref>