ST. LOUIS, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer CropScience, based in
Monheim, the Max Planck Society and their affiliate Garching Innovation GmbH,
both based in Munich, and Monsanto Company announced today that they have
reached an agreement that resolves long-standing patent interference or other
proceedings in different countries involving the use of Agrobacterium-mediated
transformation to create transgenic crops. Agrobacterium transformation
technology allows scientists to transfer DNA to plant cells.
Under the agreement, Max Planck Society, Bayer CropScience, Garching
Innovation, and Monsanto will cross license their respective Agrobacterium-
mediated transformation technologies worldwide. Bayer CropScience, Max
Planck's exclusive licensee, and Monsanto will provide each other, in selected
areas of the world, non-exclusive licenses related to the development, use and
sale of transgenic crops. Monsanto will also provide Max Planck Society with a
license in the United States for research purposes.
Additional details of the agreement were not disclosed.
"This agreement secures freedom for the involved parties in the field of
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation technology, thereby ensuring present and
future market access for their respective technologies in the United States
and Canada," said Dr. Bernward Garthoff, member of the Bayer CropScience Board
of Management, responsible for R&D.
"This is a positive development for agricultural biotechnology as a
whole," said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief
Technology Officer for Monsanto. "Through the agreement, the parties recognize
the global contributions of the Max Planck and Monsanto scientists who
invented this technology. This agreement enables their respective agricultural
innovations to reach consumers and farmers without hindrance."
Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR
5.8 billion (2003), is one of the world's leading innovative crop science
companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control,
seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of
products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and
for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of
about 19,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries, ensuring proximity
to dealers and consumers. Further information is available at
http://www.bayercropscience.com .
Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, one of Germany's
largest non-profit research organizations, comprises 78 individual institutes,
each of which conducts research in areas of the natural sciences and the
humanities. As the technology transfer agency for the Max Planck Society,
Garching Innovation GmbH fosters and manages the commercialization of
inventions and know-how discovered or created at Max Planck institutes.
Further information is available at http://www.mpg.de .
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading provider of technology-based
solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity. For more
information on Monsanto, see: http://www.monsanto.com .
SOURCE Monsanto Company
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Related links:
http://www.mpg.de
http://www.bayercropscience.com http://www.monsanto.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/114341.html
CONTACT:
Ben Kampelman of Monsanto Company,
+1-314-694-6192, Annette Josten of Bayer CropScience AG, +49 2173
38-5788, or Dr. Matthias Stein-Gerlach of Max Planck
Society-Garching, +49 89 290919 18
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