Inari Appeal Bid in Seed-Patent Suit Twists US Law, Corteva Says

Inari Agriculture Inc.’s attempted appeal of a federal judge’s refusal to dismiss allegations it unlawfully exported and modified Corteva Inc.‘s patented seeds for commercial gain misinterprets US law and would weaken protections for seed varieties if granted, an opposition brief said.

The US Code of Regulations’ requirements that seeds deposited with American Type Culture Collection be available to the public don’t override the Plant Variety Protection Act’s prohibition of exporting protected seeds for commercial use, according to Corteva’s brief filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Delaware. Corteva urged Judge John Frank Murphy to ...