Schmeiser grew canola, and his outstanding harvests were due to herbicide tolerant seeds that he grew himself from materials obtained from means other than purchase.
This violation of patent rights became the fodder of activist organizations, and a test of how a large company would respond to an unlicensed use of their technology.
Schmeiser became the darling of anti-GMO activists, and he became the figurehead of a conversation about technology, patents, farmers’ rights, and seed sovereignty.
This week’s podcast analyzes the film Percy vs. Goliath, a film that attempts to tell Schmeiser’s story. But what was accurate and what was fictionalized in the film?
I spoke with Trish Jordan, who at the time was a communications lead at the Monsanto Corporation and followed the story very closely.
She had a front-row seat for the legal proceedings and provides her analysis of the film’s veracity.
Trish is the Director of Public and Industry Affairs at Bayer Crop Science. Follow Trish on Twitter @AggieCoolChick
Kevin Folta is a professor, communications consultant and speaker. He hosts the Talking Biotech and GLP’s Science Facts and Fallacies podcasts. Views are presented independent from his roles at the University of Florida. @Kevin Folta
This podcast was originally posted at Talking Biotech and is reposted here with permission. You can follow Talking Biotech on Twitter @talkingbiotech
