Patent Exhaustion Implications of Quanta on Seed Licenses

Initially, the U.S. Supreme Court's Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics decision, which involved licensing and sale of patented electronic component parts, would seem to have little to do with seeds. Yet the Court's finding in this case does indeed have implications not just for seed patent owners, but for any patent owner whose licensing strategies involve multiple downstream users.

In view of Quanta, seed companies may want to take a fresh look at their existing licensing strategies for protecting proprietary seeds.

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Republished with permission of Bloomberg IP Law Reports (September 21, 2009).