Michael reported a difficult situation.  By no means do I want to defend
Monsanto, but in most countries, if one fails to defend a patent, it is
considered abandoned and thus lost.

Besides, a ruling in favor of Monsanto does not tell the entire story.  Was
this action truly innocent and accidental?  If so, it would not surprise me
if no monetary damages were sought (but there may have been legal fees for
the defense).  On the other hand, there have been several apparently huge
instances of farmers planting hundreds of pounds of seed collected from
fields where 'Monsanto' canola was planted...without reporting or paying a
fee.  It doesn't seem that these instances were 'innocent' or 'accidental'.

It is a property rights issue...

Lloyd

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