Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit won a legal battle to own patents on genetically-modified cotton seeds in India, the world’s biggest producer of the fiber, in a rare piece of good news for the German company.
India’s Supreme Court ruled Jan. 8 that the company’s patent for Bt cotton seeds is valid, overturning a judgment by the High Court of Delhi that said certain items such as seeds, plants, and animals can’t be patented. A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman, referred the matter to the lower court saying that all aspects related to Monsanto’s patents on genetically-modified seeds ...