GM cotton: Monsanto wins patent war in India as SC rules in its favour

SC ruled the company's patent for Bt cotton seeds is valid, overturning a judgment by the Delhi HC saying certain items such as seeds, plants and animals can't be patented under Indian laws

Monsanto, the U.S. agribusiness giant acquired by Bayer AG last year, won a legal battle to own patents on genetically-modified cotton seeds in the world’s biggest producer of the fiber.

India’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the company’s patent for Bt cotton seeds is valid, overturning a judgment by the Delhi High Court saying certain items such as seeds, plants and animals can’t be patented under Indian laws. The apex court’s two-judge bench, headed by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman, said a lower court will decide if Indian companies infringed Monsanto’s patent on Bt cotton seeds.

The verdict has far-reaching implications as