Law Commons^™

Exhausted By Exhaustion? A Solution To The Seed Patent Problem, Katie M. Scholz

Katie M. Scholz

Strong intellectual property protection drives economies in both the developed and developing worlds. But, when the breadth of intellectual property rights stretches too far, the consequences ripple throughout society. Today, the United States comes down too strongly on the side of protecting intellectual property rights in genetically modified crops, consistently extending the rights of their creators against the iconic American farmer. The allowance of utility patents on self-replicating technology, and subsequent expansion of patent rights has created a host of problems from innocent infringers to reversal of tradition. This paper looks at the various international approaches to seed patent protection …