© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A bridge is embellished with the emblem of a Bayer AG, a German pharmaceutical and chemical maker in Wuppertal, Germany August 9, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Picture/File Picture
By Ana Mano
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Germany’s Bayer (OTC:) has been ordered by Brazil’s Supreme Courtroom to return to Brazilian soybean farmers the royalties they had been charged for a GMO soybean seed, the Mato Grosso farmer foyer Aprosoja-MT mentioned in a press release on Friday.
The Feb. 13 ruling by Supreme Courtroom Justice Nunes Marques pertains to a GMO expertise commercially generally known as Intacta RR2 Professional, created by Monsanto (NYSE:), which was later acquired by Germany’s Bayer.
Bayer mentioned in a press release it should decide its subsequent steps whereas noting it could adjust to the ruling.
The ruling is the most recent chapter of a protracted battle opposing the crop science agency and Brazilian farmers, who’ve launched a number of authorized challenges towards the agency.
In 2017, Mato Grosso farmers sued Monsanto over that very same genetically modified seed, looking for to cancel its patent protections by claiming it didn’t deliver any technological innovation.
Two years later soy producer associations in 10 Brazilian states joined that lawsuit.
Aprosoja-MT mentioned that based on the ruling, Bayer will now must deposit 1.3 billion reais ($252 million) in an escrow account to return royalties paid by farmers going again to 2018.
Bayer mentioned it’s analyzing the Marques ruling, which refers particularly to a lawsuit introduced by farmers claiming the corporate was charging royalties on a patent that had expired.
“It’s price mentioning that the Intacta RR2 Professional expertise is protected by mental property rights of a large and numerous nature,” Bayer mentioned. “We belief that these rights give us authorized assist in order that using our protected expertise is revered within the nation.”
A lawyer for Aprosoja-MT mentioned Bayer can enchantment Marques’ ruling on the plenary of the Supreme Courtroom.
Brazilian cotton producers have additionally sued Bayer over Bollgard II RR Flex (NASDAQ:) genetically modified cotton seed. ($1 = 5.1673 reais)
