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On March 29, 2001, a Canadian judge dealt a crushing blow to farmers' rights by ruling that Percy Schmeiser, a third generation Saskatchewan farmer, must pay Monsanto thousands of dollars for violating the corporation's monopoly patent on genetically engineered (GE) canola seed.
Under Canadian patent law, as in the U.S. and many industrialized countries, it is illegal for farmers to re-use patented seed or to grow Monsanto's GE seed without signing a licensing agreement. The ruling against Schmeiser establishes a dangerous precedent because it means that farmers can be forced to pay royalties on GE seeds...