this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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Do you support patented seeds? "No to Syngenta’s Patent on Peppers" (www.no-patents-on-seeds.org)
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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CAN LIVING ORGANISMS SUCH AS PLANTS AND ANIMALS BE INVENTED? AND SHOULD PRIVATE COMPANIES BE ALLOWED TO CLAIM SUCH SUPPOSED INVENTIONS FOR THEMSELVES?

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago

I think it's rare for a communist to support patents of any kind

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

I don't support any patent.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

Patented seeds jesus fuck, behave man.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This is even worse than patents on living things. These patents include genes and DNA codes as short as 10-25 bases.

If a farmer decides not to use patented seeds, but their neighbour does, then the patented genes could cross over to their crops through pollination by insects or wind. The result would be the farmer being liable for illegally growing patented crops without paying for it, in which case the seed company could sue them for millions. Even if the case is flimsy, because the patented DNA is so short, one could easily argue in court that random pieces of DNA that look about similar, have come from the patented plants, and are only different due to mutations.

This has happened already. Particularly in India, Monsanto has been using patent law to bankrupt farmers and acquire their land.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Do you have any sources for that bit about Monsanto? Would be interested to learn more.