DuPont and Bayer CropScience have entered into a series of long-term business agreements related to key plant biotechnology traits and enabling technologies that will help increase agricultural productivity around the world.

 

These agreements create significant value capture opportunities for both parties through herbicide and seed sales as well as royalties. The agreements establish cross-licenses that will enable next generation seed solutions and weed and insect control strategies from Bayer CropScience and the DuPont Crop Protection and Pioneer Hi-Bred businesses.

 

The agreements also resolve outstanding legal and patent disputes between the companies in the area of insect control and herbicide safeners.

 

Farmers will benefit from this cross-licensing of innovative technologies from both companies, said James C. Borel, DuPont group vice president.

 

Under the agreements, Bayer CropScience grants Pioneer licenses to use the LibertyLink trademark in Pioneer proprietary corn and soy germplasm. In addition, Bayer CropScience will provide Pioneer with worldwide regulatory support for Pioneer products comprising the LibertyLink trait. The company also enables Pioneer to use the glufosinate-tolerance technology in soy product development.

 

In the area of insect resistance, Bayer CropScience provides Pioneer with licenses under its Dual Bt patents, with limited rights to grant sublicenses for development of next generation insect resistance management in corn.

 

As part of the agreements, Bayer CropScience grants DuPont Crop Protection rights to continue to offer its DuPont Q product formulations containing the Bayer herbicide safener isoxadifen. These corn postemergence herbicides provide growers with improved crop safety. DuPont also receives rights to offer blends of isoxadifen with certain defined HPPD herbicides and its sulfonylurea herbicides as well as licenses that will enable DuPont to introduce a broad class of future crop protection product offerings.

A number of other cross-licenses on enabling technologies between the two companies also are included in the agreements. Further details of the agreements were not disclosed.

 

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading innovative cropscience companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology.

 

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.