Agricultural Patents: Monsanto Seed Patents (Essay Sample)

Introduction
A patent is a monopoly right exclusively granted by the government to an inventor for a newly discovered innovation for a specific time. This monopoly privilege is only valid inside the boundaries of the granting country. Exclusivity of rights means that the innovation cannot be created, manufactured, or marketed by anyone else without the patent holder's permission. This right is only available for a short time. With a plant patent, the owner can stop others from asexually reproducing the new plant without securing a license. Plant patents extend for 20 years and protect the entire plant (Fulcher et al. Pg. 2). If a single, uniquely produced DNA sequence serves as the defining characteristic of a plant or seed, that plant or seed may be patented. For instance, a genetically modified plant with a herbicide resistance gene is inserted. To produce plants with certain traits, man has learned how to choose from