June 17, 2009

Monsanto Company has described DuPont's response to Monsanto's patent infringement lawsuit filed last month as a smokescreen for DuPont's failed Optimum GAT product. Monsanto sued DuPont on May 4 for unauthorised use of the Roundup Ready herbicide tolerant product.

After years of touting Optimum GAT as a stand-alone, effective competitor of Roundup Ready, DuPont admitted in January 2009 that farmers could not use Optimum GAT alone because it presented an "unacceptable risk" to growers, and needed Monsanto's Roundup Ready to make it work.

"Rather than tell the truth about its failed product, DuPont pirated Monsanto's technology," said Scott Partridge, Monsanto's Deputy General Counsel. "This is the real issue in the case."

New innovative products are an important component of improving agricultural productivity around the world. Many companies, including all of Monsanto's largest competitors, are working to develop agricultural biotechnology traits and high yielding germplasm in which to deliver them.

"Monsanto competes with true innovation and provides new solutions for the agronomic problems facing farmers," Partridge said. "DuPont wants to compete by hurling false accusations and using the innovations of others to cover up its own failed technologies.

"DuPont's claim is baseless and a way of diverting attention from the fact that it was forced to renege on its vision of a new US$200 million stand-alone competitor to Roundup Ready. DuPont is trying to make up for its commercial and scientific failures by misusing Monsanto technology, and the Court will now decide on the issue."